What's Your Problem?

Saturday night is a bad night for television. A bunch of re-runs and movies from the 90's. But, as a guy with undiagnosed ADD, the TV stays on while I work on my laptop. Besides, you never know when you'll come across something good.

I've been drifting in and out of Enemy of the State with Gene Hackman and Will Smith (I just checked on Amazon, the release date was 1998). Toward the end of the movie, Gene is giving Will a lesson in guerrilla warfare. It goes something like this . . .

"You use your weakness as strength. They're big and you're small. But that means they're slow and you're fast. They're exposed and you're hidden." This is a much different perspective than we usually bring to our daily lives. Most of us actually see our strengths as weaknesses, not the other way around. This usually happens as a result of consistent criticism from others. The visionary person begins to feel like an unrealistic dreamer who can't focus on the details. Meanwhile, the detail-oriented person wishes they had more big ideas that would inspire the people around them.

Confusing our strength for a weakness is an easy thing to do because our strength and our weakness are the same thing. They are two sides of the same coin. This is very important. Our strengths are weaknesses. Our weaknesses are strengths. So, we have a choice. Will we focus on what is wrong with us or will we focus on what is right with us? Let me make a suggestion.

My parents and teachers had one primary goal during my entire childhood. They wanted me to sit down and shut up. I had a weakness, a big weakness, since I had to spend 12 years of my life in school, sitting still and listening . . . or at least trying to. Because of my weakness, I was told repeatedly that I was obnoxious, had a bad attitude and lacked self-control.

How did I overcome this problem? I didn't. I became a college professor and a professional speaker. Now, I get paid to stand up and talk. I make a living on my weakness. I make a living on my strength. I never got "better." I never fixed my weakness. To this day, I remain unable to sit still or keep quiet but I don't have to.

So, what's your problem? Is it really a problem? Is your weakness just a strength in disguise? How could you apply Gene's lesson in guerrilla warfare? How can use your weakness as an advantage? How can you use your weakness as a strength?

Comments

[Linda Schafer]

I hope in a future post you explain "how" to figure out a strength and a weakness.

[Robin Marti]

I shared your article with my 10 yr old daughter Kat who is "different" in various ways and is also at a new school this year. She is struggling with being "different". The post opened up a really nice dialoge about what does she consider her weakness and strenghts and what makes her specail in this world. She had focused on what others had expected of her and not who she is...example, She is an exceptional swim, so much that she was choosen to be on swim team. This conversation opened up a nice conversation and awareness of herself...Awesome...Thank You!

[Lisa Vann]

This hit really close to home for me: my 12 year old son has been diagnosed as having ADHD. I accept him for who he is and like you, he rarely sits down or shuts up. I know he can do great things because of this too, but I don't think his teachers feel the same way. He is a very creative individual and it's really sad that people don't always see him that way.

[Dad]

2 Corinthians 12:9, 10