Your beautiful weaknesses.
One of the most damaging and liberating memories I have from growing up was my dad sitting me down at about the age of 14 and telling me I was wasting my potential.
He was right.
My IQ didn't match my grades.
I enjoyed being a classic underachiever. And, cruising on talent. I was definitely not concerned with making straight 'A's or competing with my brilliant over-achieving sister.
Call it rebellion. Laziness. Stupidity. Undiagnosed ADHD. Whatever you want.
I had some serious shortcomings.
Like, not wanting to sit still in a classroom (or any room).
An inability to pay attention for long periods of time to things I found irrelevant.
An over-active imagination.
Being disinterested in traditional academics.
An obsessive curiosity about what makes people tick.
And, about a dozen-or-so other not so glamorous personality traits.
Fast-forward thirty plus years later and I'm grateful for that painful heart-to-heart with my dad. It frustrated the hell out of me at the time, but it also sent me on a healthy path of learning how to embrace my weaknesses.
Which is what today's little post is all about.
I wrote about this in my first book:
"Every human being is born with the gift of asymmetry. You may have spent your life up to this point interpreting your asymmetry as a weakness, limitation or deficit. You would be wrong. Dead wrong. The truth is your asymmetry reveals your inner genius. What you lack highlights what you have to offer the world. Somewhere along the way someone told you to focus your time and attention fixing the very thing that makes you uniquely you. They told you a lie. While you should definitely figure out what you’re missing, you shouldn’t waste too much time obsessing over your imperfections. Embrace them. Seriously. The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be able to move onto more important things. Like discovering why you’re here, what you have to offer, and how you can use the precious time you’ve been given on this spinning ball of dirt for something bigger than little ole you."
Let me say it this way: you're broken in some beautiful way.
So rather than hide your deficiencies or photoshop the heck out of your life, start to own the less desirable pieces of your personality and self.
Explore your insufficiencies by getting curious about how they actually help you see the world in a unique and different way.
And, if all else fails, begin to make fun of how jacked up you are. You will be instantly more relatable and likable. And, it will help the people in your life become more comfortable with their own imperfections, too.
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Questions to reflect and journal about:
1. What was a key conversation or moment during your teenage years that changed how you viewed yourself and your potential?
Think about how this experience positively impacted your life and opened your eyes to new possibilities.
2. How have your weaknesses, like my over-active imagination and difficulty sitting still, turned into your greatest strengths?
Highlight specific examples where these traits have helped you excel or see the world in an exciting, unique way.
3. What steps have you taken to embrace your unique qualities and find your inner genius?
Celebrate the actions and mindset shifts that have helped you leverage your distinctive traits, and think about what exciting new steps you can take on this journey.
4. How can you inspire others to embrace their imperfections and recognize their unique strengths, especially the misfits in your life?
Consider how sharing your experiences can positively impact others, helping them see the beauty in their uniqueness, guiding them toward self-acceptance and success.
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Here’s to the life-changing magic of embracing your asymmetry today my friend. It’s a gift not a curse.
Steve Knox | Houston, Texas
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