A Weakness Can Be A Strength

by Marie Vonow (follow)

Perspective (98)      Strength (10)      Weakness (5)      Viewpoint (3)     

Everybody has weaknesses. Some people feel they have many. Others feel they have few. Sometimes it is a matter of perspective whether you put a particular personal trait in the ‘weaknesses’ or ‘strengths’ basket. If you are overly critical of yourself it may help to question if some of those weaknesses could actually be viewed as strengths.

A person may see her/his shy and quiet personality as a weakness. However, friends may see it as a strength because this person respects confidentiality and does not gossip. The boss may appreciate the fact this person isn’t always chatting, distracting others from their work and wasting time. The shy, quiet person may project a sense of calm because she/he speaks quietly and thinks before talking.

An adult in the household may feel she/he fails others by not getting all the housework done. Mothers, in particular, often have high expectations of themselves to keep the house clean and tidy, get the washing done (and ironed and put away), cook nutritious budget-friendly meals and keep on top of the dishes. An inability to do all these things may seem like a weakness or failing. However, not being Super Woman may encourage others in the household (hopefully including the kids) to do their share. Mum isn’t perfect so perhaps the kids will be motivated to have a go because there isn’t such a high standard to live up to. Also, if they want to wear a favourite windcheater they may have to wash it themselves because Mum probably won’t get it done in time. (I am not promising this will happen, but it might.)

Someone may worry that talking too much is their weakness. At times they may indeed say the wrong thing. This person talks all the time and will start chatting to strangers in a queue and on the bus. However, this can be seen as a strength. The chatty person finds it easy to talk to anyone. They do not struggle to find topics for small talk in the company of people they do not know and at social occasions. They are likely to be well suited to a job in customer service or anywhere that requires an ability to talk confidently.

Another person may dwell on mistakes and over think every error. This person will think about what led up to the error and will think about what they should have done. They may see this habit of over-analysing as a personal weakness. However, because they are so conscious of the error and the events surrounding it, they are less likely to make the same mistake again. Therefore this could be seen as a strength.

Leadership skills are generally seen as desirable. However, people who are happy to follow instructions and who don’t want to be leaders are needed in any organisation or group. It is counterproductive to have ‘too many chiefs and not enough Indians’. Therefore being a follower rather than a leader is sometimes a strength rather than a weakness. Someone who doesn’t want to be a leader may be a very good team player.

Instead of constantly finding fault with ourselves it can be beneficial to look at our personal traits from a different viewpoint. We are likely to discover some of what we consider to be our weaknesses can be seen as strengths.


# Weakness
# Strength
# Perspective
# Viewpoint

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