The greatest human weakness.
First time here? I hope you'll consider subscribing viaRSS feed or “It’s no use, we’ve failed.” “If some things don’t change, I want a divorce.” “I regret to inform you but that mass we removed is cancerous.” What strikes me about news like this is the wide variety of ways it is received by people. Why is it that one person will hear something like this and simply give up, while to another person this news is viewed as a challenge and all resources are mobilized to conquer whatever lies in front of them?To answer my own question, it boils down to how you think about yourself. In David Schwartz’s 1959 book The Magic of Thinking Big, he stated that the greatest human weakness is that of self-deprecation - selling oneself short. Look around; people everywhere are walking around filled with self-doubt, guilt, shame, weakness, fear. They seem afraid of being who they really are, or more likely, they aren’t even sure who they really are. It’s understandable really, if you do come across confidently and sure of yourself, you may be viewed by others as arrogant, cocky, or if you’re female you may be viewed with even more colorful terms which I will not write here.
For years philosophers have stated this advice: know thyself. For as long as this advice has been around, it seems to have been interpreted as know only thy negative self. Most mental lists of self-evaluation consist of faults, shortcomings, failures, and inadequacies. While it is valuable to realize our inabilities, since this reveals to us the areas where we may improve, focusing on only the negative side of ourselves is only half the story. Thinking this way produces small value within people.
In order to help overcome thinking small about yourself, try this. Take some time and list your five greatest assets. Such as education, technical skills, personality, sense of humor, appearance, attitudes, experience, etc. Enlist a couple of close friends or family members to assist in the development of this list. Be sure to pick people who will give you an honest opinion. After the list is created, under each asset list the names of two or three people you know who have achieved large success in life yet do not have the particular asset to the same degree as you. This exercise is not intended to denigrate or diminish others; it is simply designed to more accurately view your own size. I think you will find that you will outrank others in at least one asset. The conclusion, you’re bigger than you think.
Let the world know who you are. Live large. Or an even better way to put it; let the world feel the weight of you and let them deal with it. Since most people are constantly seeking love and attention, give them something to notice. Be who you always wanted to be. More than likely it will be well received. Next week we’ll turn this same idea towards relationships and discuss how thinking small relationally harms you and your family. Until then, live life out loud! I think you’ll enjoy it.
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My name is Corey Allan. It's nice to meet you. I began blogging during the summer of 2007 with the belief that it's possible to get more out of marriage and life. Blogging seemed like a great way to share ideas and find others who want more as well. With your help, our little project can change the world. 
4 Comments
I think how we assess our strengths and weaknesses goes even further than what you indicated. Not only do we tend to focus on our weakness but we also give them more weight when comparing them to our strengths. It seems that a small weakness has more weight than a greater strength. We sell ourselves short where we shouldn’t be and don’t give ourselves enough grace where we should.
You say “know thyself”. I think this is a weakness for me. I have spent a long, long time trying to be what others wanted me to be that I lost who I was, what I wanted, what I desired, what my dreams were. It seems that when I do think about dreams and such, my first inclination is to say, “But it’s just a dream and can never happen.” Self defeating isn’t it?
I will think about what it means to let the world feel the weight of me and let them deal with it. I think at work, it means not being intimidated to give my opinion about what I really do know when others are wanting for me to feel inadequate. I think at home that means, exposing my inner self and if others want to be fused by giving it meaning that it really doesn’t have, ok. It’s theirs’ to deal with. This sounds good on paper; can I really make it happen?
So I think my strengths include, personality, sense of humor, good friend, creative, good problem solver, perseverant, young at heart.
What do you see as your strengths Corey?
Make it a great day! :o)
I just came across this quote and thought you would appreciate it:
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.”
anonymous
Another quote that I like is, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans” (John Lennon).Oftentimes people put off doing what’s important to them because they are waiting for things to be “perfect”: attaining the perfect body, achieving some materialistic milestone, getting that next promotion. They’re so busy waiting for things to be “just right” before they make their next move, that they are missing out on life itself. “Life is not a spectator sport”. Get out there, embrace your assets and your flaws and live each day to the fullest!
Hey Pebbles! I think you are right. Life shouldn’t be a spectator sport (unless it’s sumo wrestling or something gross like that! he he he)You said to embrace your flaws. How often do we let our flaws define us and hold us back? I like the idea of embracing them. How many people won’t get out there on the dance floor because they think they are not good at it? We’ll who cares if you’re not good at it as long as you like dancing? So what in life is my dance floor? What am I not pursuing because I don’t think I’m good enough? What do I not seek or do because I fear judgment from others? Where am I holding back? Good questions to ask myself.I’ll have to give that some thought!
A thought about waiting for everything to be perfect…I think that is an excuse for not trying or succeeding. Whenever John McEnroe lost a tennis match, it was always the fault of someone or something else. That way he didn’t have to look inward and grow.
When you fall short of your goal, you should learn from it, not let it hold you back. Living things grow. How can you be fully alive if you are not growing? How can you grow if you never fail? Only dead things stop growing.
Hope to hear from you again soon, Pebbles!