BUILDING STRENGTHS, IDENTIFYING WEAKNESSES

When you have true self-confidence, you accept the fact that you may never reach all your goals. You realize that the journey to reach your full potential is ongoing: there is always more to learn or experience. You are constantly learning, growing, expanding, and gaining new experiences. As you build true self-confidence, you will more easily identify those areas in which you excel, as well as those in which you are lacking. The tendency for many people is to spend more time immediately on what they are not good at or on areas in which they do not have competence, to the exclusion of those areas in which they have a higher level of ability or innate talent. Weaknesses should not be the top priority. After all, the things you are good at are the areas that played a significant role in helping you reach the level you are at today. It makes sense to continue to improve those areas in order to build mastery and strive for excellence, because these qualities are critical to your future success.

At the same time, you do need to devote some of your energy to those areas in which you are less competent. You must not be complacent. However, because you cannot be good at everything, you lead with your strengths and recognize those individuals who excel in areas in which you are not as proficient and whose abilities are complementary to yours.

True self-confidence comes down to being comfortable with who you are. Although there will always be people who are smarter or more talented, you know you are okay and committed to getting better. You recognize that your future lies in your existing strengths, not in your weaknesses. You surround yourself with people whose skill sets complement yours.

You are developing a solid core, through self-reflection, balance, and true self-confidence. Each principle builds on the others. Now you are ready to move on to the fourth principle: genuine humility. Together, these four principles form an unshakeable foundation for your leadership, allowing you to positively influence others as you strive always to do the right thing.