Some recent events and conversations have spurred a newfound interest in me looking at how we approach our personal weaknesses.
Weaknesses can trip us up if we’re not thoughtful and compassionate in how we approach them. How?
Consider:
- We can focus too much on trying to turn a weakness into a strength and lose sight of what we’re really good at.
- We can let an obsession with a real or perceived weakness become a road block that holds us back no matter how good we may be in other areas.
- We can let others use our weaknesses against us or to control us.
- We can be blind to our weaknesses, which harms ourselves as well as those around us because of our failure to see and accept
Our weaknesses are an essential part of who we are. Perhaps you’ll find some inspiration in one of those quotes for effectively managing yours.
Quotes about weakness
There are two kinds of weakness, that which breaks and that which bends. ~James Russell Lowell
You cannot run away from weakness; you must some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand? ~Robert Louis Stevenson
Never test another man by your own weakness. ~Joseph Conrad
Our strength grows out of our weaknesses. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you think a weakness can be turned into a strength, I hate to tell you this, but that’s another weakness. ~ Jack Handy
A kind eye, while recognizing defects, sees beyond them. ~Lawrence G. Lovasik
A woman of mystique is fully aware of her flaws and weaknesses, yet she is strong enough to admit them and not be embarrassed by them. ~Jean Lush
Don’t judge too harshly, for if your weaknesses were to be placed under your footsteps, most likely you would stumble and fall as well. ~Richelle E. Goodrich
The weakest spot in any person is where they think themselves to be the wisest. ~G. Emmons
A weakness of some sort can do you a big favor, if you acknowledge that it’s there. ~Benjamin Hoff
The strength of a person is often weighed by how they deal with their weaknesses. ~Nathaniel Summers
How have you managed your weaknesses so you control them instead of them limiting you?
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
This is a tough one. Weaknesses are quite difficult for us to see for ourselves, rather like skin defects on our back. Someone else needs to point them out to us, which they are usually reluctant to do. And even if they do, we are usually reluctant to accept information about our flaws. At some level, I feel that my weaknesses have led me into the life I now lead, which is not conventional but nonetheless feels satisfactory.
You’re right about some individual’s unwillingness to see or be open to their weaknesses. They’re the tough ones to manage! I’ve come to believe that we need to be aware of our weaknesses but not spent an inordinate amount of time trying to change them, instead learning to play to our strengths. What do you think about that?