Strengths and/or Weaknesses: What Should You Work On?

One of the great things about life on Earth is that it changes.  It would be pretty boring if it was the same thing for the duration of your time here.  

When I was younger I had a goal of living until age 100.  That may not seem like such an outlandish goal these days as life expectancy continues to rise (we’ll see date after the pandemic is over).  It also wasn’t for a young healthy kid.  However, I have battled with my mortality since.  

It’s tough to explain, but I’ve recently become more aware of the manifestation of my thoughts when I was younger.  And understanding what I was thinking back then has allowed me to stabilize my mindset in the present.

Impatience

Although I led with “change”, one thing that hasn’t in my life is my impatience.  I still don’t like waiting for things.  Here’s a few things for which I struggle to wait (no really, I genuinely get uncomfortable in anticipation of these things):

-food in the oven/on the stove

-food at a restaurant 

-9 AM(when my daily intermittent fast is over, sensing an eating theme here?)

-green lights while driving 

-the return of a live sporting event on television after a commercial

-accumulating enough loyalty points at any retailer or service company

-my wife coming home on a weekday

-medical test results

-the end of a period taking a medication

-phone/computer/mobile device battery completely draining (I generally run a device until the battery is fully dead before charging in order to extend battery life, but I’m having second thoughts after reading this list of 13 tips to extended the lifespan of your phone battery)

-the end of some form of entertainment or education (Yes, even if it’s enjoyable I actually experience anxiety about finishing.  I may enjoy the entertainment, but the accomplishment of finishing is more rewarding as I can experience more at that point.)

-finishing a glass of water (I monitor how much I drink daily)

This list could go on for quite a while.  The point is that I identify with a certain point (usually the end) of something and there is something missing until I get there. 

This behavior relates to my desire to live to 100 when I was younger.  Again, I didn’t know it at the time, but the reason was that I wanted to have a really long time to experience as many things as possible in life.  You may be thinking, what will you really have a chance to experience when you’re ninety-eight?  Gimme a break.  I was ten when I had these thoughts.  

That desire to experience things has not changed and I am still impatient.  Every second I wait, is a wasted second.  It’s taking away from my chance to experience something else on the back end.  

I generally consider overly impatient thoughts to be unhealthy.  They can lead to forgettable actions.  You know I love actionable steps.  In the cases listed above, waiting patiently usually wins.  

Change

I must also take a few words to commend little Bobby John (my name amongst the family when I was younger).  What was brilliant about my thoughts is that I understood that life is about change, progression, and experiencing new things.  I have certainly wrote about consistency and good habits, but it’s advantageous to apply them to different situations.  

Change can make some people uncomfortable.  Check out The 10 Rules of Change from Psychology Today.  All behaviors are complex!  That’s enough to be intimidating.  This is also okay.   Drastic change isn’t frequently required, but it’s possible. 

Bobby John knew that things could change, and a lot.  This is not a criticism of my childhood.  Outside of the swerving through the intersection event described in the October 27th edition of E-Impact, my childhood was rather safe and enjoyable.  But, I knew that I wanted to experience a lot of stuff (here I am living in the same town I’ve lived in since I was three).

Dreaming

One of the great things about youthful minds is that they can dream a lot.    Listen to Episodes 10 and 18 of Speaking of Impact (with Matthew Leeland Cox and Angel Aloma, respectively) for discussion around what it could be like to not be able to dream.

I loved to dream.  I still do.  After all, I have plenty of time until my 100th birthday.

What does the ability to change provide?  It yields a freeing feeling.  You have a chance to experience something new and the assurance that your efforts are not futile.

This is not a motivational writing for struggling business people.  It’s for anyone who things something different is needed in any aspect of life.  It’s for an impactmaker.

Change should not only be a result of unsuccessful efforts.  It can be appropriate at any time.  

Overextended Strengths

Do not let your strengths become overextended.  You may be extremely successful at something by doing the something consistently for long time.  But, there comes a time where change is important. 

I heard that McDonald’s is adding the McPlant to its menu in certain markets.  Many would say that burgers and fries are what have made the fast-food restaurant successful over the years.  And while those are staple menu items, I would say what’s really kept them relevant is their ability to stay modern.  The advertising, menu, and overall experience at “Mickey D’s” has always felt relevant.  

Honestly, I don’t like the food McDonald’s serves at all.  But, I feel like I know the local restaurant very well.  I can walk there.  Actually, my wife and I ran by it the other day at about 6am and it was busy.  I was thinking at the time, “Who would get up early to go there?”.  It occurred to me though, that they don’t have the best pancakes.  Have you seen the seasonal beauties at IHOP?  I had to figure out Why food makes our mouth water?  

Back to McDonald’s…they have the best experience.  No one cares about the hypothalamus.  They care about how the trip to the restaurant makes them feel.

Over the years, brands like McDonald’s, Starbucks, Nike, Home Depot, and Calvin Klein have evolved to serve the present market in a modern way.  This tells me that they have not tied their success to a specific product or service.  The world has changed since the 60’s and 70’s.  It’s changed since February!  2020, never forget.

If huge brands can pivot multiple times over the years, any single person or small movement can.  This is great.  

Flipping Your Weaknesses

Just as your strengths should not be overextended, your weaknesses can also change.  No matter your cause, it’s inevitable that adjustments will need to be made.

Do you remember Blockbuster Video?  What happened to them?  They were a thriving business in the 90’s and 2000’s.  They certainly had some strengths.  Unfortunately for them though, as technology changed, they did not.  Starting in 2010 the company began to diminish.  As late as 2014 there were still some corporate stores, but they were far and few between.  

Blockbuster was weak in the digital space and by the time they realized it, it was too late.  Things went down pretty fast.  This is not a scare tactic, or even a warning.  It’s a motivation point.  You CAN improve on your weaknesses.  Did Blockbuster have to become the number one digital video producer?  Probably not.  But, they needed to be in the space.  Your purpose, movement, or initiative may need to consider the things it doesn’t do well in order to stay relevant.  And it can.  

Here’s an extreme example.  Check out the history of Viagra.  That’s a pretty extreme pivot.  

Improvement

Here are some steps to take if you want to consider your strengths and weaknesses in a critical, yet productive way.

Strengths

1.  Ask, “What do I/we excel at?  Why?”

Ask yourself and team (if you have one) what you are best at.  Yes, your mission statement should be related, but this question is referring to specific tasks and ways of executing your mission.  Instead of “we feed the hungry.”  We produce 1,000 meals a week at St. Luke’s Church by recruiting 25 volunteers and acquiring fifty pounds of food donations from the local Wal-Mart (another company that has evolved well).

2.  Ask, “How long are the places, people, and sources committed to helping us?”

You need to know how long you can count on things or people.  What if the St. Luke’s closes or has to support another cause?  What if the volunteers are being led by one very motivated person and he or she moves?  That person was a strength, but they won’t be forever.

3.  Consider ways to make your processes more efficient and less reliant on outside sources.

What if your 1,000 meals leads to a need for 2,000 meals but the church doesn’t have room for that?  You don’t want to turn down 1,000 people.  What if that causes problems between those who were served and those who weren’t?  Search for another venue before it’s too late.  The current venue has been a “strength”, but you may have outgrown it.

Weaknesses

1.  Ask, “What do we struggle with that is essential to our existence?

Sticking with the feeding the hungry example, it’s likely that in today’s world you would need advanced sanitation steps.  Will it solve hunger?  No.  People will be hungry no matter what and you’d still have work to do even if you did nothing to sanitize.  But without it, your whole operation could be shut down.  What if you put an emphasis on your sanitation protocols and created a system that was acknowledged by other organizations or authorities?  Maybe you could make a difference in food banks all over and feed way more people than the few thousand in your town.  

2.  Ask, “What new rules, laws, or situations are coming for which we need to prepare?

You have to prepare for the things that aren’t there yet.  What if there is a new food license in your county that you need to serve meals?

3.  Consider processes that you don’t have that would make you more efficient and less reliant on outside sources (similar to the previous #3).

If you were feeding 1,000 people every week it would likely be challenging to keep track of everyone.  When you were feeding twenty-five you probably developed some relationships with those people.  Now you're struggling to remember the most recent person you addressed.  You could ask Wal-Mart for more food because you need to feed 2,000.  Or maybe, before you try to expand, you work on a digital registration process to collect valuable data about who you are serving.  What was a weakness could now be a strength that gives you a better operation.

Mal intent is worse.  Lack of desire is bad.  Weaknesses are not good.  Strengths are good.  

Improvements are better.

Take the time to evaluate what you do well and what you don’t.  Identify the essentials and make sure those are strengths regardless of their current status.  Then, look to expand what you do.

You were meant to experience lots of things.  With experience comes improvement.