What Are Personal Strengths And Weaknesses

I believe that at some point in life, most people have a dream, but something happens to it over time. Every elementary schoolchild is asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" If you have ever seen children confronted with this question, you see how quickly they respond, with little hesitation. Some say, "I want to be a fireman." Some say, "I want to be a pilot." Others may say they want to be a doctor or possibly even the president of the United States. Yet very few of these schoolchildren actually live out their childhood dreams.

 

Did you have a childhood dream you eventually achieved? Most of us don't. As adults, many people still find themselves asking the question, "What do I want to be when I grow up?" This leads us to an obvious question we need to answer about ourselves. Was there a time in your life that you had a vision and there was something you really wanted to achieve? My guess is that you would respond yes. So what happened to you along the way, if you were unable to execute your vision?

 

There are two main reasons you might decide to give up on your dreams:

• The first reason is that you aren't clear about what you really want.
• The second reason is that you did not approach your opportunities properly.

 

You may have believed you had to do things that were big, huge, and significant. What you actually need to do is connect a series of small steps and opportunities that will eventually produce the final result you want. Go as far as you can see, and then you will see farther! For Albert Mensah, it was going to the American school, communicating with pen pals, and writing to American colleges in pursuit of a scholarship. What are the opportunities you need to connect to turn your vision into reality?

 

Short of seeing a movie that provides a lifetime inspiration, I believe authentic vision of the kind discussed here will be most frequently discovered or birthed from your own personal experiences, strengths, and gifts. Each human being can lay claim to something he or she has that no other person has.

 

And that includes you. The unique thing about you is your own life. The exact experiences you have lived are as unique as your fingerprints or your DNA. Although many lives may exhibit some common experiences and characteristics, the unique experiences of your life belong to you and you alone. Within those unique experiences, your gifts and talents are exposed.

 

Each of us has the ability to do a particular thing and to do it very well. For some people, it may be the ability to teach and explain things. For others it might be the ability to wade into complicated situations and discern simple solutions. For others it may be the ability to write. Still others may have the gift and ability to create poetry, music, or another art form.

 

For some it might be mechanical skill or athletic ability. Whatever your gifts or talents may be, they can be seen as an unbroken thread throughout your life. Our talents and gifts become evident when we are young, and they continue to be refined and revealed until we die.

 

The most significant fact about your gifts and your talents is that they involve things you probably love to do. Think about it: Nobody has to push you to do those things. You do them because they give you pleasure and because in doing them, you feel you have provided value for others as well as yourself.

 

For that reason, I believe authentic creation of a vision begins with embracing your gigs and talents. I refer specifically to the talents and gifts that allow you to exceed others' expectations. When you recognize and claim your talents within the context of value creation, you will begin to see connections that lead to an authentic vision, with the power to transform your professional and personal life and possibly the lives of many others.

 

How does all of this work for a business? There is no difference. Organizations have unique skills and abilities because the people who populate the organization have unique skills and abilities. In the same way that personal gifts and skills are seen throughout an individual life, they are also seen in the life of an organization. There are certain things your business does very well, and the ability to do those things differentiates you from your competition. Understanding those advantages is critical to sustaining organizational success and effectiveness over the long haul.

 

Achieving clarity of vision is the cornerstone of Strategic Life Planning. When you have an authentic vision, things happen. When you have clarity about your vision, you discover yourself being pulled toward it, and all you have to do is follow the connecting opportunities that carry you along. The Pulling effect of an authentic vision allows you to make connections faster. You can identify and pursue opportunities faster. The results you achieve will be superior and they will come faster than you may have thought possible.

 

Next post, I'll cover the importance of understanding the "why" behind your vision. Having clarity of purpose and vision, as well as the ability to communicate it to others on whom your success relies, will continue to pull you forward. At mean time, you can check out What Are Personal Strengths And Weaknesses.

 

 

No related posts.