How can you become better at what you are already great at?

You can work on your weakness. Of course you can. 

But if you put in the same kind of effort in developing what you are already great at, only time will tell what amazing feats you can accomplish. 

Your child comes home with her report card and you zoom into the subjects where she’s not doing well. There is very little or no focus on what she’s already excelling at. 

A friend’s daughter who’s barely 7 years old is instrumental in organising our meet-ups. She wants to meet our kids regularly and pushes her parents to bring us all together. That kid is an includer. 

A young adult who’s terrific at science, but understands history even better is encouraged to pick up the sciences for future education. Only to eventually evolve in to historical paper author for a prominent archaeological institution, but 7 years later than if she had just taken up history in the first place. 

What am I getting at? 

Focussing on where you excel vs focussing on what you excel at and enjoy vs focussing on your weaknesses- these are choices that we get to make in our lifetime.

And we should exercise that choice with utmost caution. For the early part of our lives, such choices get made on our behalf by parents, guardians, well wishers. But for the later part when better sense kicks in, what are the few things that you can do to keep an eye out for what makes you tick happily? 

1. Watch out for activities where you feel timelessness. The passage of time doesn’t bother you or it doesn’t register in your psyche. 
2. Keep an eye out for what you absolutely abhor doing and always always always have a strategy to manage around it. Clearly this helps you not stand in your own way. 
3. Openness to learning- you might know what you are absolutely great at. But it doesn’t mean that you know how to continue being great at it. Keep looking for coaching and mentoring around the “hows” of your strengths- how you relate to others, how you influence, how you build relationships and the works. 

As a strengths focused, derailer aware coach, I understand the importance of weaknesses not becoming road blocks. I also understand that sometimes strengths when they are working over time, are perceived as weaknesses. So stop to listen what others are saying, stop to observe yourself and stop to get coached by people who have been there and done that. 

Read more from the author: