Personal Strengths and Weaknesses

PERSONAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Nosce te ipsum. The preceding phrase (Latin for "know thy-self") should be the first goal to accomplish on every person's checklist. It is the most difficult thing for me. I read books, take assessments, and have sessions of reflection. I do these things in hopes of gleaming kernels of knowledge and wisdom from what others have penned to paper in search of understanding who or what kind of person I am. I have to come to find out that ultimately I am afraid of who I am or rather afraid to admit my deficiencies. Aristotle wrote, "I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who overcomes his enemies." This quote says to me that if you can conquer yourself, then you can do anything.

I have many weaknesses to conquer. It has been a lifelong battle. Some enemies have been defeated - others are fighting harder than ever to stay alive. The most destructive force working against me is lethargy. It goes against and can crush every thought, dream, and goal I have. Lethargy's chief allies are fear and doubt. This team of defeat works very closely together. When I finally set out to do something, they are always waiting for me. Negative, defeatist thoughts move in whenever I start a task that is important - especially when in unfamiliar surroundings or facing unforeseen setbacks. I can think of too many projects that have been abandoned en route or have never left the drawing board due to lethargy, fear and doubt. I can put every other shortcoming that I have together and they still would not measure up to the power of those three weaknesses. I call them my tools of destruction. They feed and grow off each other until I am also consumed and just quit whatever it was I wanted to do. Yasser Seirawan (a notable chess master) summed it up best when he said, "Terror is a self-fulfilling prophecy."

I've carried two strengths throughout my life that I have only begun to use with any notable effect and they are imagination and intuition. I also consider them to be skills just like anything else. They can be improved over time with use and lend support to the other trumps in my (albeit small) arsenal. When I am able to utilize these strengths I can accomplish things that would normally seem impossible. An example of when I can put these skills to great effect is when I hear someone