The pursuit of excellence is seldom to those who cannot work to their strengths. I will raise my hand because I used to be subject to perpetually improving in every weakness I acknowledged. The fear of futility consumed my mind at a rate where peace was absent. Stubbornness placed me in this position. This is a naïve process that can stop one from becoming great.
If you have read my first blog post, you’ll know that I am a believer in self-development. Although, the possibility of spreading yourself too thin can affect you mentally and hinder development in other areas.
Choose 2 or 3 skills
This is a dilemma; I know I just mentioned the problem with stretching yourself too thin but at the same time it’s important not to limit yourself to one skill. Being great at multiple skills opens many opportunities and makes you more of an asset. Of course, I mean this within the business world however, it applies to everything.
It’s important to understand that the skills you choose have to complement one another otherwise you’ll be learning 2 skills that are wildly different and may not entirely benefit you. For example, I am a marketer, and learning how to sell will enable me to understand people better and communicate more effectively.
How to eliminate your weaknesses?
The conventional method of performing this step would be to work on it until you’re adept enough. But you’re not doing that after reading this. Don't waste your time if whatever you’re trying to work on is far from being adequate. I know this may come across as harsh but remember I am trying to save you time and effort.
Evidently, there are many more things we are bad at than we are good. This shouldn’t be a sign to go out there and be the best at everything, especially if it’s not directly helping you. We only have so much time so why spend it trivially? The best way to filter your weaknesses is to see if you naturally pick it up faster than others and if you enjoy it, however sometimes there are situations where we dislike a skill but we’re great at it, let’s move on to that.
Competition
There is so much competition in the world that we have to stand out in some way. Any hobby or skill you choose, there is going to be someone better than you. However, that's not the point.
If you're aware of your weaknesses, you're already a step ahead. Let others compete in that area while you focus on your strengths. I understand there are skills that we wholly want to improve on. Despite this, you have to know when you're wasting your time. If you naturally cannot progress in the given skill, then my advice is to let it go. Conversely, learning it wouldn't necessarily be bad, just don't get too attached and move on once your understanding of it is adequate.
To be great, one must focus on the necessary skills and be humble enough to admit you cannot excel in everything. And even if you could, the stress caused on yourself will tear you apart. Acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses is a skill in and of itself. Learn to experiment and see how you break down concepts. Apply effort into analysing your weakest areas as well as your strengths. That way you will be able to save yourself time and solely focus on the skills relative to your strengths.