I'm big! I'm brave! I'm beautiful!
But what are you brave at? Let's discuss discovering your strengths!
I don't know how many of us have seen the clip of the man who was encouraging a little girl when she got scared after her swimming lessons. That is exactly how I hype myself up every morning when I wake up. This country is a lot!!
Wagwan Guyss. How have you been? Hope you've been living the life? I missed y’all so much. I know you missed me too 🤭
Today we're going to be talking about Identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Let's do quick definitions (I'm already learning how to be professional, guys).
Your strength is something you excel at. It is something that you can do really well with little to no effort. Meanwhile, your weakness is something that you can't do at all or something that takes too much effort for you to do.
As usual, a quick story (Una too like gist). There was a time, a few years ago when learning a trade was all people could think about. So yeah, an opportunity came for me to learn a trade. I decided to learn bag-making. The first few classes, it was cool, I was getting a hang of it. When we got to the crux of the matter, I got totally lost. The bags I sew came out looking like bucket hats. Imagine!! A whole me!!
A few months later, I turned to tailoring. It was worse. Hairdressing, bead making, all of it. There were disasters. I knew from the start that handwork was not my thing, but because a lot of people were doing it and I was tired of saying, “I'm not learning anything”, I continued to frustrate myself. This was literally me…
Many people are like that. Everyone is unique in their own way. If we all knew how to do the same things, who would do the other things?
There is a need for experts in every field. Imagine if everything was done by people who were professionals, life would be so much better. You wouldn't be fighting your Nigerian tailor anymore if it was a professional in the first place (my tailor showed me shege last week, I'll tell you guys about it next time).
This is why it is important to find your strengths and identify your weaknesses.
Here are some tips to identify your strengths and weaknesses:
Reflect on past experiences. Thinking about your past experiences and taking note of what you have always done easily is one way to understand your strengths.
Ask family and friends. The people around you always see things about yourself that you can't see. Ask trusted people what they think are your strengths and weaknesses. Both in character and in business. That way, you'd be able to understand what would make you flourish more.
Set feasible goals, track your progress, and take assessments. There are always strengths that you have discovered. Set goals that are within reach, and challenge yourself. There might be something you have not yet recognized in you.
Learn from others. There is always a better way to do something. Even if it's good, it could definitely be better. Look to people who are better in areas where you have interests and develop those strengths.
Accept Constructive criticism. Let people correct you! Let them give their opinions. It's not that you obey them or downplay your own opinions for others. You just have to take their opinions into consideration and find out what could be beneficial to you. Remember, people can always see what you don't see.
Here’s a simple hack to find your strengths!
With these tips, I'm sure you'd be able to find what it is about you that makes you big, brave, and beautiful.
I'm glad to speak to you again. I hope you understand and take this into consideration. I trust you!
Till we meet to gist again. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to the newsletter.
All my love and support,
Your Go-Tu Gi,
Francis Ketiku.