The Importance of Acknowledging Your Own Limitations
No one is perfect. Understanding exactly where you need more work can help you get ahead. Many of us think we know our strengths and, more importantly, our weaknesses. However, the level of self-awareness it takes to truly evaluate the areas where we need improvement isn’t very common–and it’s tough to develop.
If you don’t have access to trustworthy feedback or lack mentorship, you can do some introspective work to gain more insight for yourself.
Find Past Failures
You can’t get better until you look honestly at your past failures and figure out why they happened. It’s not a pleasant experience to look at all of the ways you haven't met an expectation that you (or someone else) placed onto yourself. But if you can look at the situation, flaws and all, you can figure out the role you played. That gives important insight into areas that might need work. Then, you can re-frame them from “weaknesses” or “limitations” to the next areas you want to build in your ability to overcome.
Find Someone Who Won’t Hold Back
It’s critical to find people in your professional and personal lives who will tell you the truth, even when it’s difficult. They don’t necessarily have to be your best friends–but they do need to be honest, trustworthy, and unafraid to tell you when your efforts just aren’t cutting it. “When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.”- Thomas Sowell
Notice What You’re Avoiding
What are you spending all of your time on? What are the things you’re avoiding? If you’re actively putting off the same important tasks on a regular basis and there’s no significant reason why, it’s likely a good indication that you haven’t practiced those skills—only furthering your limitations. Whether it be perfecting your skills as an athlete, a professional, a student, or a friend, it’s always important to stop avoiding the inevitable…even if it’s uncomfortable.
