What counts more: Strengths or Weaknesses? – Blog by Jwel

Hey #TSStrong family!!! I wanted to talk you all about the strength of finding and fulfilling your purpose. One of the things that has greatly assisted me in achieving various levels of success in life has been building upon my strengths, and not dwelling on my weakness. Now this doesn’t mean that I ignore my weaknesses, but rather I have chosen to not give more energy to them than a general acknowledgement will allow. Now I didn’t always have this figured out. For example, as a big guy I used to think that I was not attractive to women, especially moments when I weighed over 400lbs. I can say that dwelling on it too much kept me from pursuing potential relationships that may have been beneficial for me. It wasn’t until I began to realize that I had more to offer in a relationship than my physical appearance that I started to build confidence in myself based on the strengths that I possessed. I offer the same advisement to you. Also, do not let your environment dictated the altitude of your success or purpose. Growing up in SE Washington, DC with various periods of living in an unstable home setting, statistically there were many reasons why I could’ve ended up engaging in street activities, incarcerated, or just an unfortunate victim of circumstance. Thankfully, I was blessed with the knowledge of self and strength to not allow my environmental factors to determine what type of person I would become or what levels of purpose I would seek. There were moments that I allowed my peer’s lack of support or enthusiasm in their own lives to assist in diminishing my output by nurturing weaknesses within myself. In those moments, life has taught me that dedication to my purpose was more important than loyalty to passing friendships. A snippet from my favorite poem titled “Our Deepest Fear” states that “there’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you”. From this sentiment I have drawn the strength and determination to seek out my own path towards purpose and have overcome nearly all barriers in my way despite my weaknesses. I leave you all with the following texts in hopes that this blog helps you discover and live in your ordained purpose in life…

Excerpt from “Be-Do-Have: The Principle for Massive Success” – by Brandon T. Bailey:

“To use the principle for massive success you must make sure that you align your work with your strengths. Keeping the Be-Do-Have principle in the correct perspective will help you see an improvement in your overall quality of life. From this moment forward when you think about personal development… STOP thinking about fixing your weaknesses. This is a draining and non-exciting task. Just like dieting only works for a season because the behavior is often unsustainable, fixing your weaknesses is not a behavior that can be efficiently sustained over time.” – Brandon T. Bailey

Our Deepest Fear
By: Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

You’re playing small
Does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us;
It’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.