Updated 2018. Opening up a newsletter, I was hit with a message that snapped me out of the afternoon slump:
Only you know the reality of what your biggest weakness is. Start this week by facing it; deciding how to beat it and then taking the actions necessary to overcome it. You can overcome any shortcoming if you take the right action!
As most things like this, you could become excited one minute and the next get on with your day completely forgetting the message and intention. Or… today could be one of those days you could act. Why not, I said to myself? And if today I did and tomorrow the next person I told about it did, and we passed it on, this message could actually make an impact on our lives!
So, on reflecting on my own biggest weakness, I got to thinking, and as an artist, mom, wife, and business owner I came up with a list.
In this case, what’s the reality of one’s “biggest weakness?” To be totally authentic here, I’m constantly working on and adding to this list.
But for the sake of experiment, I decided to give it a try. I picked Money. I dislike talking about it with clients. It’s not in my comfort zone, and though I need to pay my overhead and bills, I don’t do what I do because of the money. I love to shoot and I love to help people.
But I often leave the transaction of my jobs until the very end, which often causes me to have large amounts of outstanding fees and very poor cash flow for my business and sometimes family. To beat this, a solution would be to discuss money with my clients early on in every consultation and to take deposits for jobs. Sounds so simple, as I type it here, taking action is what can be tricky to implement.
But whether it’s money or something else, we all have our flaws. We all have things to work on. And that’s okay. I mean, come on guys. In the dance world, you’re under constant scrutiny, but if you charge ahead working and improving, there’s a sense of fulfillment.
So think about this. What would happen in your life, in your career, if you tackled your biggest weaknesses? I go back to being a dancer. I’m not sure I ever had a conversation with my mentors or directors about what my biggest weakness was and then actually put a plan in place to tackle it. If I had, what difference could that have made? What difference could it make for you?
I would like to challenge you to do just that. Have a conversation. Pick a weakness. Put a plan in motion.
Shoot us an email or post in the comments below–what you come up with and how it affects you. What if we all did this throughout the year? Giving ourselves little check-ins, not to demoralize, but to motivate. And chances are, you’re not alone. Can’t wait to hear from you!
I’m right there with you, Rachel. Why is money the hardest topic to broach?
Shouldn’t we be as proud of earning money doing what we love as we are proud of providing great services to our clients?