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Fix Weaknesses vs. Focus on Strengths

I recently attended a lecture by Paul Allen, founder of Ancestry.com, and he was talking about his newest venture. It's a business based on the strengths finder assessment that helps people discover and pursue their strengths. He's a firm believer that each of us has special talents and strengths we should focus on. He's not a fan of public education wherein we teach and treat all kids the same. He shared this famous Einstein quote:

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

I agree that all of us have unique gifts and talents, but I think there is value in a liberal arts education. I support the idea of exposing individuals to as much as possible so they can discover additional talents. I mean not all of us come out of the womb composing music like Mozart. I don't recall any natural talents I exhibited as a child, but I do know I developed many a talent over the years through experience, education, and trial and error.

To this day, I'm discovering talents and strengths. For instance, I just barely started gymnastics and I'm pretty darn good at tumbling and feats of strength. Actually, I wouldn't say it's a "natural talent," but I am progressing rapidly, and loving it so much. I can't imagine locking myself out of this discovery by pigeonholing myself into some category of strengths and talents I exhibited at an earlier age. I'm a work in progress with no plans to stop evolving.

But when it comes to production and getting things done, I do like the idea of focusing on strengths and not worrying about weaknesses. I mean if I'm really good at making money as a marketer, and I enjoy my marketing job, but I hate cleaning and cooking, and I have no interest in improving these skills, then why not hire someone to cook an clean while I market and make money to pay them? There are plenty of people who LOVE to cook and clean. In fact, many have a natural talent for cooking or cleaning--how wonderful for me to be patrons of their art.

But if I want to learn to cook and clean, then more power to me! I believe we can all learn how to do new things and there is no excuse for not being able to do something if you really want to do it:

What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve!

So I guess I've not really answered whether it's better to fix weaknesses or to focus on strengths. I will end by saying it all depends on what you want. There is a case to be made for both. So if you want to make weak things strong, I believe you can. If you want to ignore your weaknesses and focus on your strengths, more power to you. There will be plenty of people willing to compensate you for your strengths so that you can afford to hire others to handle your weaknesses.

As with so much in life, there is no one right way. Do whatever the heck feels right and best for you. It's your freaking life anyway. What you looking around wondering what others would have you do? Have you never learned to lead your own life? Don't worry, you aren't alone, most people haven't been so empowered. That's a societal weakness I'd like to change into a strength!

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