One of the simplest ways to understand your strengths and weaknesses is to write them down on paper. Take a sheet of paper and write on one side the pros and on the other side the cons. The cons are your weaknesses, and the pros are your strengths. This will give you a clear view of what is holding you back. You will have a lot of fun with this simple exercise, and it will show you many areas of yourself you had no idea existed.
 |
| Pros and Cons. Every strength carries its shadow reflection, turning awareness into growth. |
Step Two:
I always like to start with the pros, as it creates a positive flow for getting started. You will change this many times as new streams of ideas come to your mind. Try writing out 25 items for each section; this is important because you will then eliminate 15 of the least significant achievements and keep the ten most important as your pros and 15 for your cons. The reason I say to keep 15 for your cons is that this is the section you want to improve.
Step Three:
Once you choose the ten most important strengths and the fifteen weaknesses, you will change forever. This list becomes your cheat sheet for who you are. Remember, you can always go back and revise this list; it is not written in stone as of yet. You will know when you have your master copy of strengths and weaknesses. Once you are satisfied with what you see, we will move on to the next step.
Step Four:
The hardest step you will need is to be as honest with yourself as possible. Otherwise, this exercise will waste your energy and hinder your development with your mission in life. Now I need you to write 25 goals that are the most significant accomplishments that you want to achieve. Once you have written all 25, eliminate 15 of them and only keep the ones that are truly rated as a ten, not a seven or a nine. "But a ten." This is imperative.
You now have your purpose in life written out; it could be anything you really want to do, and you will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Whether it is getting a new job, a new relationship, or starting a new company, it should be one of the ten most important items you want to achieve.
With each goal, you will need to write a precise reason why it is important to you and how you're going to achieve each one. The more details you provide with this goal will help you understand why you need this achievement to be part of your life. I would not add any dates on when you need to achieve these goals. Only adds additional tension that you do not need
Each morning in front of a mirror, you will want to read them out loud to yourself, believe it is happening 25 times, and repeat this process again before you go to sleep so your subconscious mind will take over as you sleep. Repetition is the mother of all skills, simple as that. Do these exercises each and every day, and you will see a drastic change in how you think and react. People will see you totally like a different person; you will walk and speak with confidence that you never knew you had.
All the Best,
Joseph Botelho
