Personal Development and Strength

The following article is from the new book, Getting Personal: A Guide to Personal Development by author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey.  To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.  

Just as a weakness is what makes you feel weak, so your strengths make you feel strong. They may not be the things you do best, but they are the best things you do. Your strengths are the things that bring you to life and move you forward no matter what the challenge or difficulty you face. Strengths are really a matter of will more than they are placed on us. Weaknesses make us feel like victims with no choice in the matter; strengths make us feel in control and that we can choose what we will do. As author and one-time publisher and creator of Success Magazine Orison Swett Marden said, “Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.” You are that strong person!

Success-minded people know that to recognize their strengths is not an ego thing, but a practical and important part of seeing who they are. When we see our strengths, we know just what we can do and what we can’t. More importantly, we know what we can excel at in life. The humblest person in all of history, Jesus Christ, knew who He was and what His strengths were. He never apologized for them or saw them as a matter of pride. None of us can say we are God and know it is true. He did, and yet He was humble and caring to everyone. Here is an example to follow.

Only when you recognize your strengths can you do your best in the workplace and in your life. It is because we have strengths that we have dreams. When you were created, (yes, I believe you were deliberately created and not just the result of a biological event) you were designed for a purpose. Your strengths are the abilities you need to achieve that purpose. When you see them, you also see your abilities to achieve your dreams.

Personal development and the achievement of your dream will not happen on its own. It takes action and that action has to happen now. Click on the Free Membership button in the side bar and start your journey to achievement today!

© 2016 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without permission of the author.