I’m a big proponent
of personal development because learning is fundamental to change.
However, sometimes
you can take personal development too far. You shouldn’t attempt to develop every skill or trait that you don’t possess.
Sometimes trying to
build aptitudes in too many areas can cause you to minimize your effectiveness
in the areas where you naturally excel.
Please
don’t interpret this as a license to stop learning!
It’s
just the opposite. It’s a call to consider
your potential and reach it by being self-aware and managing your development.
Try new things
and see what “sticks”. What motivates
you? What makes you crazy? To what are you completely indifferent?
Are the skills or
traits that you tend to avoid or dislike necessary to your success? If so, can you develop them? Can you compensate for them?
There’s an old
saying: “Bloom where you’re planted”!
But, always
remember that you’re not in the garden alone.
Homework:
1) Determine
where you excel and why.
2) Determine
if your skill set and character
traits are more often a benefit or a liability in your current environment.
3) Identify
where you need to develop a skill or aptitude.
4) Identify
where you might be better off building a network.
5) Figure
out how to find and “enlist” people in (or outside of) your organization with
the skills and passions that complement yours!
6) Review
the
last post!
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Ann, I think we are on the same page. Exploring uncharted territory is a lifelong pursuit and I believe what keeps us young, alive, and gives our brains and hearts what I call “plasticity,” which is the ablility to continue to flex and change and grow and not fossilize or harden.
Once part of our landscape is known, a strength or weakness, then we are faced with a very different question. What is the best and highest use of my time, of my gifts?
Keep growing, keep exploring. And say hello to Liz for me. 🙂
Trée – Spelling doesn’t need to be! I agree with you – I only get nervous that sometimes you have aptitudes of which you might not yet be aware? Did you always know you were a brilliant artist? I never knew I could write – but when I tried it – I realized I liked it. While I have a lot to learn – I think I’ll continue to grow as long as I keep trying.
So – yes, don’t kill yourself on things you don’t do well – BUT – don’t stop exploring and testing things out either.
What do you think?
Oh, and spelling is not one of my strengths. LMAO!
Ann, here are my two cents. Life is short. Know your strengths and ride them like never before. Know your weaknesses and forget about trying to improve them. At best you will turn a weakness into a mediocre ability but you will almost never turn a weakness into a “true” strength.
We can’t be all things to all people. Know your strenghts. Go there. That is your destiny. The clock is ticking. Where are you going to spend your time?
Absolutely – thanks for the input!
Ann: Nice post.
I’d edit this one slightly:
“3) Identify where you need to develop a skill or aptitude.”
..to include, “Or, identify how you can turn a weakness into a strength, a liability into a benefit.”
Sometimes, it’s easier to shift perspective than develop anew!