Build on your strengths, work on your weaknesses

Minh Tan

Other quotes by me

Is this just wordsmithing to say the same thing about addressing both your strengths and weaknesses? Yes and no. It does suggest that, yes. You should do both, take advantage of your strengths and do something with it, as well as do something about your weaknesses so they aren’t as weak in the future. The ideal thing would be to ultimately turn your weaknesses into your strengths, but it’s not often a practical thing due to the amount of effort and/or other resources required to that for a lot of people, and all their weaknesses. It’s often a lucky situation for anyone able to do that more than a practical one, so I’m not going to go that far.

However, what you do with your strengths and weaknesses would generally be two very different things. You wouldn’t likely take the same risks to do something with your weaknesses as you would with your strengths. The same opportunities wouldn’t be available to your weaknesses as to your strengths, likely, whether jobs, fun, volunteering, etc. You would also enjoy what you do with your strengths a lot more than your weaknesses. That is, the former wouldn’t feel like “work”. But just because your strengths are already strong, doesn’t mean you should just sit back and just admire it, at least not for long, and definitely not forever. Build on them to make them even better. And as for your weaknesses, it’ll be work, but work on them. You might regret it more if you didn’t someday!