Your Weaknesses Are Your Biggest Strengths

Humans are Unique Animals

One of the most obvious ways we differ from other species is that we are born somewhat helpless.  By the time most animals are born, they are already able to take care of themselves. Take a calf for example. Within hours of being born, a calf is able to walk, within days it can run around, and within weeks it has all it needs to be on it’s own and fend for itself.  Humans, on the other hand, are born so helpless that we have to rely on somebody else to feed us, protect us, and basically do everything for us for years.  By the time that we can really fend for ourselves it’s already been a decade. That’s a big difference - being born and within days being able to walk and run around vs. being born and having nearly a decade before you are able to take care of yourself. Why does this matter? 

Because we don’t spend enough time thinking about our helplessness upon being born, a time when we have to rely solely on those around us to take care of us. Without a proper support network in place, a newly born baby would never survive much less thrive.  The fact that you have to depend on other people for so long may seem like a weakness, but it’s actually a pretty big strength. And it all has to do with our big wonderful brains. Let me explain…

Evolution

Over time, humans have developed a relatively larger brain in relation to our body weight compared to almost all mammals.  Because our brains need a very big thick skull, our heads are much larger than other animals in relation to the rest of our body.  Early on in evolution, that meant that mothers wouldn’t survive childbirth if they tried to carry a human baby to term - their heads were too big!  If the baby is going to come out and depend on it’s mother for food, nourishment, support, safety, and defense you need to have both to survive.  Therefore the thing that makes us special, unique, and powerful is also the thing that makes us born weak and helpless.

What does this mean for you?

The parts of yourself that you consider weaknesses might actually be your biggest strengths. I’ve talked to many Heroes in my program who have that same exact oxymoronic relationship with the things that make them unique.  Some of the elements of their lives that they have tried to run away from end up being the most powerful factors in their evolution.

I want you to ask yourself the following: What weakness of mine could actually be a unique offering to the world? This may not be the easiest exercise but try not to limit your possibilities. Who would have thought that because our brains grew that we would be given an evolutionary advantage in thinking and planning?  This gift that we have from having big heads has led us to creating agriculture, technology, building civilizations, etc.  We didn’t expect that this gift would create a problem of survival early on.  If we ignored the strengths that the brain gave us and spent our time focusing on the fact that it made us hopeless and weak when we were born, we wouldn’t have all the incredible human creations we have today.

Acknowledge Your Weaknesses

What I am urging you all to do is to take control over your own evolution. This evolution, the story we create, is not going to take place over hundreds or thousands of years, it's going to take place during your lifetime. And as somebody who has gone through their own evolution for essentially two decades, I can tell you that so much of what I thought of as a weakness early on, has turned out to be exactly what makes me unique today. I used to look at my “weaknesses” as things that I needed to fix, get rid of, and hide away from others. Now they are my superpowers.

Figure out what makes you different from others, what makes you stand out from the crowd, what you try to keep hidden, or what keeps you up at night - and then see if you can find a hidden strength buried underneath. Does your traumatic  upbringing give you an ability to empathize deeply with others? Does your anxiousness give you an impeccable attention to detail thus making you a loyal friend and reliable employee? Does your tendency to detach help you cope with overwhelming emotions so you can hold down a steady job?

Acknowledging your weaknesses is the first step toward helping them evolve into strengths. From there, you’ll need to zoom out so you can see just how those “weaknesses” have kept you alive so far. Many times our “weaknesses” have been the very things ensuring our survival. Next, you’ll need the support of friends or a group like IGNTD  to help you transform those weaknesses into strengths. 

It may have taken many years for us humans to transform our big brain disadvantage into actionable, real power through the creation of tools, language, agriculture, and technology, but the good news it won’t take you nearly as long to transform your weaknesses into your super powers.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction and wants a shame-free approach to break free, the IGNTD Hero Program is here to help with a free 14 day trial.