Changing Perception about Strengths and Weaknesses–Part 2

Step 2: Reflection

The second step in the process involves some reflection.

First, consider the following questions:

1. Which of the two lists do you have the strongest feelings about right now as you read over them–your strengths or your weaknesses?
2. What words would you use to describe your sense of enjoyment or appreciation of such introspective exercises as this, where you are asked to examine your strengths and weaknesses? Is it a pleasure? A pain? Neutral?

Second, go back to your two lists now and place a check mark by as many as five of the chararacterisics on your list you would most like to see changed over the next 12 months.

My Strengths and Weaknesses

Here’s what I came up with regarding my own six strengths and six weaknesses.

My Six Most Bothersome Weaknesses

1. Distractability: Continually shifting focus and therefore not bringing things to completion
2. Diminishment: Not valuing what I have completed and therefore not utilizing what I’ve created to its full potential
3. “Helping”: Wanting to “help” others and therefore interfering with their lives, process and timing
4. Intensity: Using intensity to go after and to try to get what I want and therefore causing hurt and harm
5. Activity: Pushing my self too hard and therefore depleting and imbalancing myself (and sometimes the people and environment around me)
6. Insensitivity: Not listening to life, to others and to my higher self, and therefore not being able to collaborate and cooperate to my fullest potential

My Six Greatest Strengths

1. Self Reflection: My capacity, skills and willingness to look at my own self and to change my behavior… and therefore continually increase my sense of freedom and enjoyment of life
2. Clarity: My ability to “see” past the face value of things… and therefore my ability to respond more intelligently
3. Versatility: The broad array of skills I have… and therefore my ability to do most anything I wish and capacity to vision, plan and problem solve
4. Communication: My verbal and written communication skills… and therefore my ability to connect, relate and influence
5. Love of Life: I care–about life and people… and therefore what I do has ever increasing meaning and therefore purpose for me
6. Perspective: I’ve seen beyond the form-side of life… and therefore I can work with life, life situations and people differently than I could before.