Whats Your Biggest Weakness?

So this is a subject I think about a lot. It was a question I remember having to answer on a fake interview sheet at college. We had to turn a weakness into a strength, in order to make us sound employable.

To the tired perfectionist in my head, lets just say, this question was the final degree to my global warming. I went on a full “Tasha Tangent”:

“Why can’t we just accept that we all have flaws and none of us are perfect? (unless you happen to be a dog in which case you are flawless and very much perfect). Why can’t we not be good at something for once and that be ok? Are we not employable because heaven forbid we have an “imperfection? What? Are we meant to be machines? Even computers have breakdowns and get overheated sometimes but we can’t? No wonder everyone seems to have anxiety or depression …”

You catch the vibe of my spiral…

Yup, all this over one interview question. What can I say? I told you I was an overthinker 🤷‍♀️, a trait I have always considered my greatest weakness. However, after meeting many little angels 👼 over the past few years I have realised that it is also one of my strengths… hear me out…

🐾A Dog Called Ben🐾

(yet again dogs being the main influencers in my life and not just on instagram) 

So Ben is a beagle x collie mix. With a constant grin on his face he is what I can only describe as Tigger on Red Bull, the definition of 🎵 bouncy, bouncy, fun, fun, fun,fun, fun 🎵. However, he also possesses the collie trait of being eager to please (which made training him a real joy).  A lot of potential owners saw him as “too much” “too hyper” or “full on”.

Yes he was an energetic dog, you weren’t going to find a fellow couch potato in him come rain or shine. Yet it was this same energy, this same squirrel on crack persona, that made him impossible not to break into a smile around. It gave him his enthusiasm and up for anything attitude. It gave him the potential to create such an intense bond with his owner that they would be gaining a pet and partner.

To me it was his greatest strength. It was just going to take the right people to direct this energy properly and to work with it rather than against it. 

We are no different. Quite often what we perceive to be our greatest flaw can be turned on its head. Not convinced? Let me give you an example:

I have a (much loved) what some people might call “hot headed” friend. She will make her opinion known regardless of who you are, taking no prisoners in an argument. Yes, sometimes this causes unnecessary aggro and her impulsive nature, combined with a rather sharp tongue, is a double edged sword. 

HOWEVER this same “hot headedness” and impulsivity is also what I admire her for.

Why? Because it’s what gives her a passion for life and her career. She is a dreamer, but she is also a doer, so she puts these dreams into action. It’s what makes her so interesting to talk to, because she HAS an opinion. She will (intensely) debate with you, speak up for what she believes in and educate you on subjects you wouldn’t necessarily investigate yourself.  It’s a trait that means she cares and she cares strongly enough to show, something which in the generation of “catch flights not feelings” we need more of.

You know where you stand with her (which as an overthinker I need) and you get a real conversation = a real relationship. 

The same logic can be applied to overthinking💭 . Sometimes overthinking can feel like the devil we let hold us back BUT trust me it has its benefits. Thinking of every possible outcome can turn you into a paranoid Piglet* BUT it also makes you a great planner, it can make you creative, it means that when you set yourself a project you throw your all into it and you don’t take things/people/behaviour at face value as you realise and have thought through a lot of the variables/explanations.

Extreme analysing has its uses☝ . 

*(warning if you follow my blog I suggest you educate yourself on Winnie the Pooh…I will reference him throughout…we can learn a lot from the greedy bear)  

The point being yet again use your “weakness” rather than letting it use you. Like Ben’s new owners, we need to work with our “weaknesses” and not see them as a flaw in our character, but rather just one of the many parts of our character. 

Right, enough Tasha verbal diarrhoea, your turn, apply this to yourself:

• What is your biggest weakness?  

• How can you direct it to be your strength? 💪

•  What does it enable you to do/be? 

I would love to know what you come up with 💛 it’s always useful to share you never know who might need to relate 🤷‍♀️.

Tasha & Mino x