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Assets & Liabilities: Your “Weaknesses” Are Strengths
This week, I want to offer you an opportunity to uncover a hidden strength (and thus asset) within what you perceive as a weakness or a liability.
Take a moment to make a list—just one, two, three, or however many you like—of the things you see as a weakness of yours, or as a flaw, or something that you think is holding you back from the success or life you dream of.
These could be personal qualities, habits, or ways of operating that you feel are “blocking” you from your success.
Now, once you have that list, I invite you to shift your perspective. Ask yourself: In what ways could these very qualities actually be my greatest strengths? What if they were actually a hidden superpower that I’ve overlooked?
You don’t have to fully adopt this new perspective right away. Just entertain the idea. Zoom out—way out—and just ask: I wonder if it’s absolutely true that this is a liability? Is it really true that this is holding me back? And what would my life be like if I saw this as actually one of my strengths?
What if the very thing I’ve been trying to fix about myself is actually a key part of what makes me unique and is actually deeply connected to the life I’m creating and all of the things I truly want?
Seeing the Strength in Your ‘Flaws’
Journaling about this can be incredibly revealing. Just thinking about it might not be enough, but when you put it down on paper, unexpected insights will emerge. You may start to see that the very thing you thought was a problem is actually an asset—maybe even THE asset that allows you to create success in a way that’s uniquely yours!
I’ve experienced this so many times in my own life and career. The things I once judged myself for—things I thought were deficiencies or limitations—turned out to be my greatest strengths and assets!
For example, I used to criticize myself endlessly for not wanting to do video’s and lives. I only wanted to record informal voice notes or write emails. I didn’t want to build a complicated login system for courses or learning; I just wanted simple email-based programs that come to you, no passwords, no meeting times, just simple delivery of helpful tools and content.
For the longest time I made these natural preferences of mine mean that I was hiding or insecure or afraid, that I was “playing small”, or was just “not there yet” or “holding myself back from my next level” or that I was doing it wrong in some way—that I had to “fix” these things before I could truly succeed.
But the truth was, those preferences were simply the truth of who I am. I deeply value my time, freedom and privacy. I thrive when I can create from my little cave of solitude and share from there. I thrive when I have time and space to do it my way. And when I finally honored that truth, everything started working better—for me and for my clients!
My approach turned out to be not just easier for me, but also more effective and enjoyable for the people receiving my work. What I thought was a weakness was actually one of my greatest strengths all along.
What If Who You Are Is Exactly Right?
I encourage you to look at this in terms of your personality traits, too. Maybe you judge yourself for not always being “up,” or “ultra positive”, or for needing quiet, or for feeling selfish when you prioritize yourself. What if those very things are what make you relatable, trustworthy, reliable, and magnetic to the people who need you most?
We often believe we need to change in order to succeed—to become more social, more extroverted, more disciplined, more something or someONE else. But what if the truth is that who you are, as you are, is already exactly right?
For the longest time, I wanted to be loved for who I really am in my life and career—but I couldn’t be, because I wasn’t allowing myself to BE who I really am! 😂 I was trying to conform. I was trying to fit into a mold that wasn’t mine. And yet, the moment I embraced my natural way of operating, I found out I was loved for it—and it even became the thing that set me apart and the most valuable thing to my clients and customers. But they couldn’t possibly embrace that in me or in themselves if I didn’t give me and them the chance to.
When I accepted what I am, as I am, where I am right now and saw my “flaws” or liabilities as my strengths and assets, it changed everything. It created this incredible permission for me, and for others around me, to create things that worked for them.
But I could NOT possibly have discovered that, if I had not given myself that chance to find out by letting me be who I am and ask for what I truly want. And as I’ve embraced that more and more, it continues to prove to be the case. Each time I’ve leaned further into my natural way of being, it has opened up more ease, success, and true alignment with my values in my life and work. And it has created something that is so BEYOND just “success” in traditional terms, it has created a life and work that I actually LOVE and feel comfortable and good in, because all the success in the world would not deliver that if I felt I could not be me IN that success.
Your Unique Way Is Your Gift
So I encourage you to look at yourself with fresh eyes. What if the very things you’ve been trying to change about yourself are actually the key to unlocking your next level? What if they aren’t weaknesses at all—but rather, the unique gifts that allow you to create success your way?
Play with this idea. Journal on it. Explore it with curiosity. You may just find that the thing you thought was holding you back is actually the thing that will set you free.
Have fun with this, and if you particularly resonate with MY “weaknesses” 😉 then you’ll probably love and greatly benefit from Introvert Star my on demand one hour workshop on the topic, and if you’d like explore more of my work, you can do so right here »
xo,
Sunni
