In FREAK FACTOR: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness, David Rendall recommends nine ways to deal with your weaknesses. Rather than suggesting improvement on weak areas, David suggests to readers that they should focus on their strengths instead. Many weaknesses are, according to David, actually hidden strengths. One story he uses as an example to support his argument that weaknesses can actually be used as strengths involves a man who struggles with addiction. Todd Crandell used to be addicted to drugs. His problems with drugs left him homeless and poor. Todd was able to change his addiction from drugs to Ironman Triathlons, races that involve a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run. He still has an addiction, but he has found a way to harness his addiction to improve his health rather than damage it. Like David says, it is more efficient and realistic to make the weakness into a strength than try to change the weakness altogether.
The first of David's suggestions I found especially useful was number two: “What's My Problem?” David describes how he has harnessed his weaknesses and turned them into skills that help him in his life as a professor, speaker and consultant. For example, David mentions that he is hyperactive. He writes, “Now, the hyperactive guy, who can't sit down or stay quiet, gets paid to stand up and talk.” He chose careers that are not negatively impacted by his weaknesses. One of my weaknesses is that I am very easily distracted. It is literally impossible for me to focus through an entire class. Sometimes, I am so easily distracted that I can not focus enough to have a one-on-one conversation. It can be an extreme nuisance at times, but when I lose focus on the task at hand, I am usually daydreaming about abstract thoughts, concepts or creative ideas. Often, I imagine unique camera angles or interesting ways to edit a certain video sequence I have been working on. I conquer my weakness by using it to supplement my strength as a creative person.
The next tip that I strongly agree with is number four: “Forget It: Don't Try to Fix Your Weaknesses.” David says that it is a waste of time to try to fix your weaknesses. He believes that it takes too long to correct a weakness, it is not enjoyable, it is distracting and it simply isn't worth it. By correcting a weakness, it is still not transformed into a useful strength. It is pointless to attempt to be less bad at something when you could instead use the time and effort to turn a good skill into a great skill. Another weakness of mine is that I am bad at planning ahead. Rather than trying to get better at planning ahead, it is more worth my time to develop my already strong skill to easily adapt to situations as they occur and solve problems on the spot.
The last tip that I would like to discuss is tip number five: “Build on Your Strengths.” David says we should work to improve our strengths more than correct our weaknesses because it feels rewarding, our natural areas of strength are the areas that have the most potential and strengths make up for weaknesses. Essentially, David is encouraging specialization. People who are a jack of all trades are not those who are the most well known. For example, if Einstein had decided that relative to his physics skills, his biology skills were weak, he may have wasted his time being an average biologist instead of developing the theory of relativity. Specializing in physics is what made Einstein one of the greatest scientists of all time.
My Weaknesses: Procrastination, easily distracted, poor pre-planning skills, impulsive, overextension
My Strengths: Creativity, flexible/good at adapting, open-minded, calmness in stressful situations
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