If you focus all your strength on your goal or vision, it doesn't matter what challenges come at you, you will maintain your course. However, if you put all your focus on being strong, to overcome the forces/struggles/challenges coming towards you, more likely than not....you will buckle and fall.
It's quite ironic.
What I found in myself while doing the exercise, was that I had a mass of inner strength that I didn't realise was there. When I forgot about myself, and the internal dialogue I used to have when accomplishing a goal, and just focused on the target of my aim/beam...My body adjusted to what it needed to do, to accomplish what I needed to accomplish. However, when I focused on trying to "be strong", I accomplished the exact opposite, I found my weakness and buckled under pressure.
If the thought does not serve us, why do we keep telling ourselves to be strong? What does it even mean to be strong?
I suppose, when we tell ourselves that we need to be strong, our underlying assumption is that we are weak, or at least we're trying to fight off/overcome our weaknesses to be a strong person. It's kind of a weird thought, but did you ever see the heroes like Batman, Spiderman, Superman... saying to themselves, when they're trying to save the world: "Come on. Just be strong. You can do it."
I've been listening to a few people on this subject: Strength - what is it? And why we should focus on it, instead of our weaknesses?
Marcus Buckingham said that you shouldn't be working on your weaknesses, you should be working on your strengths. Weaknesses are not always the things that we are bad at, but are often are the things that drain us. Our strengths are things that stem from our talents, our personality, and leave us energized when we build on them constantly.
Blair Singer says that you should focus on your strengths. Because if you keep focusing on what's wrong with yourself, your self concept will be smaller, your self esteem will be low, and your results will always be small. If you focus on your strengths, if you focus on what makes you alive, if you focus on what you're good at, your self concept grows, your self esteem grows and your results also grow.
All too often, we get sucked into our weaknesses. We beat ourselves up about why we didn't do things better. We feel sad that we're not as good as the person we work with. At performance evaluations, we have a list of "developmental areas" that we need to work on. What you FOCUS on EXPANDS (T. Harv Eker). When you start digging the well of weaknesses, you will find a bigger river from whence it comes, and soon you will start feeling lost, little, useless, inadequate despite whatever you've accomplished. We drown ourselves in negative self talk, at the detriment to all the joy that surrounds us. Trust me, I've been there.
A key thing to remember is that not everyone is built the same. Your weakness, may be someone else's strength and vice versa. Not everyone in a soccer team plays the same position, for the same reason that each team member serves a different function, and plays unique role in the team. Each member brings a different set of skills and strengths to make them a powerful team.
I believe that when you're doing something that lights you up, something that you are good at, you will be motivated to keep getting better at it, and achieve your vision. If your fight is with your weaknesses, you will always find more, and you will always lose. If your fight is one, that focuses on an inspired vision, you will ignite the strength within yourself, that no weakness can smother.
Every one has different strengths and talents. It's time to focus on using what you're good at, what you love, to get to where you want to be, to who you want to be.
Yours in Inspiration
Donna
Ps. Thanks JFK for this amazing vid ;). Because sharing is caring! Enjoy! http://youtu.be/PBgqWAbyfsY
