The Key to Figuring Out Your Secret Weakness
We love this stuff, don’t we? Social Media is full of personality tests these days. We all want to understand ourselves better. It stands to a reason that the better we understand ourselves, the better we can align our lives with what makes us happier and live a more fruitful existence.
As a trained life coach, I see a lot of people keen to work out the good stuff to focus on; their strengths for example. But we are not so keen to look at our weaknesses. And no judgment here, I know it is not the easiest of tasks.
But if you were feeling brave, and were wondering how to even begin identifying your weaknesses, then I have you covered. It is all about looking at your behavioral patterns.
It is in your behavioral patterns
You could have the best poker face in the world, or live in a big cloud of glorious denial. But nothing, and I mean nothing, gives away our weaknesses like our unconscious behaviors.
Just to clear this up before we go any further; an unconscious behavior does not mean that we are sleepwalking or are hypnotized. We can be perfectly alert, awake and functioning. But we all follow the circuitry of our brain on autopilot when it comes to our natural behavior, responses, and decision-making.
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The way that our brains are wired, and the way that we act as a result of this, are as unique to us as our fingerprints. Our strengths and our weaknesses are determined in our childhood, when our brains are still developing rapidly. As we grow up this all becomes part of who we are.
But this does not mean it can’t change. With self-awareness and a bit of hard work, we can work on changing those behaviors that we do not like. So if you identify your weakness, and you want to improve that part of your behavior, it is very possible.
Identify your behavioral patterns
Your weakness is something that you probably feels lets you down. It may be a lack of willpower, or the tendency to always be negative, just for example. In order to change this, you first need to identify it clearly.
Personally, my favorite way to do this is by journaling. Through keeping a track of my thoughts and responses to things, over time I found out that one of my weaknesses is being indecisive. I am frightened of making a bad decision, which can leave me making no decision at all. Or even worse, rushing a decision to get the process over with.
Now that I am consciously aware of that problem, imagine the power I have over it. When I catch myself being indecisive I can step back, get some perspective, and ask a trusted friend to help me get clear on the decision I am trying to make. I am not saying that my problem is resolved, but I am more in control as a result of being aware.
Read also – 8 Ways to Be More Mature and a Little Calmer
Try it yourself
Try keeping a journal for a few months, and then look back over it and find the patterns.
Do you struggle with trusting people?
Do you always imagine the worst-case scenario, causing you anxiety?
Are you bad at sticking to things?
Find your thing, and then see what your newfound awareness can do for you. Really improving your life is about working on the good and the bad; the strengths and the weaknesses. So do not be afraid to look at your weaknesses, they can teach you a lot about yourself, making you more powerful in the long run.
