It is often easy to come up with things we are good at. Our strengths are shown in many ways every day. But when it comes to becoming a better person, we need to know what our weaknesses are as well. It can be difficult figuring out what these weaknesses are though.
What are personal weaknesses? A weakness is a character attribute you are not as proficient in or that scares you.
List of weaknesses you might consider working on includes:
- Self-criticism
- Insecurity
- Too detail oriented
- Perfectionism to the point of keeping you from finishing something
- Public speaking
- Extremely extroverted or obnoxiously talkative
- Shy or timid
- Too sensitive
- Poor communicator
- Poor financial awareness
- Overly critical of yourself
- Not proud of yourself
- Untrustworthy
- Procrastinator
- People pleaser
- Afraid to learn/ tech phobia
- Fear confrontation
- Must always be right
- Poor sense of humor
- Lack creativity
- Stuck in a rut/ afraid of change
- Negative attitude
- Worrier
- Lack self-confidence
- Overly emotional
- Disorganized
- Impatient
- Expect too much from others
- Don’t expect enough from yourself
- Not finishing projects or other things started
- Taking on too much
- Not knowing when to say no
If you are not sure what your weaknesses are or which one you should address first there are ways to figure it out.
One way to determine our weaknesses is to ask others, especially those close to us. They will be honest with us and can clearly see what we need to work on or get help with.
Another option is to take a self-assessment test such as the Meyers-Briggs test. These tests are meant to help you see what your strengths are but are great at showcasing what your weaknesses are as well.
Once you know what your weakness is you can begin to take steps to improve it or work with it in a more positive way.
Recognize and accept your weaknesses. Dig deeper into why you act this way or do something this way. Does it come from some instance in your past or did you develop it as a defense mechanism? Whatever the reason, address it and then move on. This is key in turning that weakness into a strength. Get guidance from coaches or others you trust.
Be prepared or overprepared to compensate for the weakness. Hire others who have the skills you lack from your weakness.
Work on your weaknesses whenever you catch yourself falling back into one of them. For instance, if you tend to put too many things on your to-do list, working on multiple projects at a time, and find yourself at the end of the day not getting anything finished, try to only include two or three things on your list each day. We all have weaknesses that we would love to improve. Once you know what those weaknesses are and why you do them, you can begin making the changes needed to improve them.