The Greatest Weakness of All
We all have limits. There are things we are simply not good at. We can work to improve our skills or mask our inabilities (although I would not suggest the latter if the former is possible). But what is the most unforgivable weakness in every field?
Not knowing your own limits.
To think you have no weakness is the greatest weakness of all. An unknown weakness will inevitably rip you apart from the inside and you will have never seen it coming.
This blog post is going to be a bit of an experiment. It will be driven by your comments about your greatest weakness and how you overcome that weakness.
Maybe it is a little dangerous to write a blog post about a weakness while still on the hunt for a job, but I think it is necessary to understand yourself; furthermore, doing so is probably more valuable than assuming you can do anything.
I’ll start by expressing a weakness of mine – I need to have multiple things going on around me to stay focused. Seems strange right? But as I write this post, I’ve read seven articles from my Google Reader (and have 20 more queued), refreshed and caught up on my Tumblog three times, tweeted a couple times, and made a late lunch. I probably seem very unfocused.
To combat this weakness of seeming to lack focus, I have harnessed the ability to think about things actively while engaging in other activities. I found out I could do this in school when I would write a sentence of a paper and leave it for days at a time. When I came back to the paper, I could sit down and build on that one sentence quickly and accurately with the ideas I had conjured up in the time I was away from the paper. Now, when I start something, it stays in my mind and grows until I can release it.
In the age of social media, brands never go to sleep. It always needs to be in the back of your head and on the tip of your tongue. You also have the ability to research your competitions’ strengths and explore your own weaknesses to minimize them. Don’t let a weakness that you did not recognize tear your brand apart.
So, go ahead. What is it? What is your personal weakness and how do you use it to your advantage or minimize it? Like I said above, this post will really be pushed forward by your comments and your willingness to improve your strengths. I hope you trust the community to be honest and help you build your abilities.
Great post.
If I have a short to-do list, I procrastinate. I need to be crazy busy to be productive. This drives me to constantly be looking for new projects and opportunities, which in turn, helps me grow as a designer at the same time.
Much like you, I harness the ability to work on multiple projects at once. It’s a gift and a curse though, because the ability to give attention to one thing whole-hearted it the essence of life. As this gift gives you the ability to be more effective and agile at work it does not carry much weight in personal life. Bringing the benefits of both into life is what I strive for most!
I’d definitely fall into a similar camp as Cassie. I wouldn’t say it’s my “greatest” weakness, but, as a writer, I write better when my boss says “I need the copy for this written by noon” or “I need a post on this topic by 5.” I’m almost the opposite of you in the sense that, if I let my mind stray too far off the path, I fall into Wikipedia-mode of clicking every link (on Twitter, Facebook, etc.) that I find interesting. Then I’m scrolling around on bizarre websites or watching SNL Digital Shorts. And that’s rarely productive.
Another one I struggle with is balancing work with home. I come home and have a choice. I can read marketing books (which I really should do) or read a Chuck Palahniuk novel (which I really want to do)…it’s hard for me not to read “Choke” when I should be reading “What Sticks.” I’d say that’s one of my biggest weaknesses.
That and I’m totally obsessed with comic books. But that’s a sweet weakness if you ask me. Maybe even a sweakness.