My Top 3 Biggest Weaknesses
In an interview setting, one of the questions that makes most people uncomfortable is “what is your biggest weakness?”. Like most people, I personally tend to default toward basic answers like “I work too hard” or even “I’m too hard on myself”. Although those answers are okay, they partially undermine what could be an opportunity to look within and be self-reflective. Afterall, being able to confidently acknowledge your weaknesses is one of the greatest catalysts to facilitate personal growth and improvement. In this article, I want to take a look at my personal top 3 biggest weaknesses.
#1 Procrastination
As a young student in middle and high school, procrastination was easily my biggest weakness, and it is something that I still struggle with at times today. As a student I would frequently wait until the last minute to write essays, finish projects, or do homework despite having several weeks or even months given to complete the task. I would typically cram for most tests and exams, sometimes even waiting to study until the period before or even in the same period before the test was actually handed out. Thankfully, I was intelligent enough and at least somewhat proactive enough to still perform reasonably well. Throughout most of my high school career, I averaged a 3.5 GPA or above and ended up graduating with High Honors recognition.
Despite no longer being a high school or college student, I still occasionally find procrastination showing up in various ways. A good example would be a situation with my electric bike recently. For months the throttle on my bike was broken, which meant that using the pedal assist was my only option. As a person that bikes sometimes as much as 30 miles in a day, you could imagine the toll that it could take on your legs to pedal that distance with no throttle to balance in occasionally.
As it turned out, the fix wasn’t all that complicated. I called the company that manufactures the bike, got the replacement part picked out, and it was shipped to my house within a few days. However, even after all that, it still took me another several weeks to finally get it installed. Was it a big job? Not really. It took maybe an hour or so, and I actually enjoyed it. More than anything, it is the principle of getting things done within a timely manner. When your stuff needs repaired, you get it fixed. You don’t let it dangle around half put together. End of story.
Another example is with my music. I very frequently am guilty of writing songs and then not recording them until months or even years after the song was initially written. I also will occasionally start a song by writing a few bars, and then not finish it until I finally decide to come back to it later on. Is it that big of a deal? Not really. Is it something to be improved upon? Most definitely. Afterall, having those songs completed could be the difference between a rapper that almost makes it, versus a rapper that actually does make it. In a world where at any point you could be one song away from a lucky break, you just can’t afford to procrastinate.
#2 Wasting Time
As a young adult, I guess I can say that I am a little bit spoiled when it comes to the amount of time I have on my hands. I still have a lot left in the tank, and it could even be said that I am still somewhat of a “baby” at 28 years old. But, wasting time isn’t a good habit to have. Laying around in bed for long periods of time after waking. Re-listening to music you’ve already heard before. Sometimes even just sitting idly and doing practically nothing for long periods of time. It’s something that I’m working on getting better with every day. It’s one of the reasons why I’m constantly cutting things out of my life, whether it be video games, social media, dating apps. It’s because I recognize the negative impact they can have on your day-to-day routine.
Many of the most intelligent and successful entrepreneurs of the world are masters of time management. They wake up early. They set color-coded schedules for the week. They track the ways that they spend their time, and ensure that they’re focusing on the right things. In some cases they may even go back through at the end of the day and make notes about how those time slots played out to find takeaways and ways to improve. Personally, I am not quite at that level. My schedule tends to be pretty simple, and I don’t have systems of that nature implemented. But, I am getting better about that. I’m taking note of what time I get up in the morning and how long it takes me to get out of bed, and I go to sleep at the same time every night at 10:30. I also use my journal as a way to lay out my plans for the day, and will frequently journal once again before bed to list my takeaways from the day and recount the things that I did positively.
For me personally, I find that a little bit of flexibility in the way I spend my time tends to be beneficial. Sometimes when I get too caught up trying to do one thing after another day in day out I get a bit burnt out. Occasionally I will have to set aside time to rest or designate time to chill. I typically try to set one or two goals for the day and stick to them, and give myself some permission to be lenient in between if need be. But, even with all that said, there is still room for improvement. As a 28 year old man with everything to gain and nothing to lose, there is no reason to be laying around like an old retired guy. I’ve got to be up moving and shaking, and not letting that time go to waste. Especially if I want to minimize regret down the line.
#3 Thinking Too Much About The Past
There is a time and a place for nostalgic, reflective thinking. Sitting by the ocean on a beautiful day, taking time to reflect on life’s joyous moments. Taking time at the end of the year to recognize what an incredible year it has been. Or even just bike riding through an area that you grew up in and thinking back to your childhood. But when you’re getting up in the morning slicing your fingers open and spilling your ingredients everywhere while cooking breakfast because you’re ruminating on something that happened years ago, that’s where things could stand to change.
Along with thinking too much about the past, something similar is to apply past outcomes to future situations. Anticipating future events through memories of the past. It can be helpful and useful in some cases, but it can also become excessive and over the top. For example, just because you had a bad experience with one job doesn’t mean that will be the case with every other job moving forward. Sometimes the best thing is just to let the past go and make space for new opportunities to arise openly and spontaneously.
Thinking about the past could be last year, last month, last decade. It doesn’t really matter. The point is that it’s something that has already came and went. Why prioritize that over making the present moment the point of emphasis, and paving the way for a better future.
Instead of thinking about past relationships that didn’t work out, or past opportunities that fell through, the best thing is let them go and translate those past experiences into more focused present level action. It’s something that is at times easier said than done, but it is also something that is able to be controlled and managed when approached consciously.
When you’re spending an excessive amount of time living through the past, it’s probably a sign that you’re not doing enough in the present. Afterall, how often is it that you’re both thinking about the past and having a blast in the present. To live in such a way that you can experience the present moment with true peace and joy is the greatest blessing life has to offer. For me personally, it’s something I could stand to improve with if I want to be the healthiest and happiest I can be.
Room For Improvement
Even though I don’t consider myself to be a complete and total loafer, there is still much room for improvement. Procrastination, wasting time, thinking too much about the past. These are things I strive every day to reduce. However, I would be lying if I said that they weren’t personal weaknesses of mine.
As mentioned up at the top, being able to acknowledge and recognize your weaknesses is the best way to facilitate growth and improvement. If it wasn’t for that, chances are I would be spending this time doing something useless and unproductive rather than sitting here and writing this article. As a young, 28 year old man I still have a lot to work on and improve with, and I say that with genuine excitement and enthusiasm. I love to make personal progress, and I hope this article reflects that.
Thank you for taking the time to read. I hope that you have enjoyed, and I look forward to seeing you on the next article.
