Synchronicity! (And also, “AHA!”)

Do you ever have one of those moments where you run across something that just hits you as SO right that you want to slap your own self?

Today, I was reading Mighty Girl in one of my free moments. I do not read Mighty Girl all the time. I kind of save it up and when I have a free “catch up on blogs” moment, I can then spoil myself by reading several posts at once. Am I the only one who does this?

So: at any rate, this is not today’s post on Mighty Girl because I was getting caught up on my reading. It is a post from April 10 of this year. And in it Maggie discusses this book, StrengthsFinder 2.0, and she provides this quote:

“…people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies.”

And for criminy’s sake, it just walloped me up the side of my head. Because in my everyday life, in my full-time job, I can’t tell you how many times I have written this about the clients that my agency serves. We talk about a strengths-based approach, about finding what our clients are good at and then building on their strengths to help overcome their weaknesses (not exactly in those words, but you get the gist).

But in my own life, I focus on my own limitations all the time. I doubt myself, I second-guess myself, I wish I had said this better, or responded like that. Wow. Why?

Closing out the post, Maggie writes:

…I have a lot of internal voices saying, “Overcome your weaknesses! Be a better you!” And so forth. The truth is, the you you’ve got is just fine. Work with those raw materials instead of fighting your nature, and you make more progress.

I’m restraining myself from slapping myself again. But seriously? This is just what I needed to read today. Interested to read the book – and to hear if you have read it/heard about it.

April was a rough month. This idea of focusing on my strengths – and helping my family to find theirs – dovetails with several ideas floating around in my brain to get our family back on track. I am cautiously optimistic for what May will bring. Hoping for less hospital time, fewer doctor’s offices and more appreciating the moments and the beauty of each day. Stay tuned.