The one thing that makes all the difference

How often do you spend time trying to improve your weaknesses?

Okay, next question (and a more important one).

How often do you spend time developing your strengths?

Neurological studies indicate that we are hardwired to excel when we are focusing on our areas of strength. Despite this, we often spend most of our time and energy on trying to get from bad to merely mediocre in our areas of weakness. 

Our greatest growth actually rests in our strengths rather than our weaknesses. From our earliest cognitive development, we grow bundles of neurons in our brains in some specific areas. For some people, perhaps it is that they are better with numbers than the general population. For others it might be their innate ability to make other people feel at ease. We often term these skills as our natural skills, or sometimes even call them aptitudes. 

Because of the way our brain 'farms' its neurons, it is actually easier to branch new neurons off existing ones than create new neurons. This means, if we have a strength area (lots of neurons) we have the greatest ability to grow new neurons in that area. More neurons means more 'smarts' in that area.

So whilst it is common to want to develop our weaknesses so that we are a more 'rounded' person, biologically it makes sense to focus on our strengths. When you stop and think about it, it actually makes sense. If you are working on something that you are interested in and really enjoy, you are more likely to spend more time on it, research it, and want to excel at it.

Adam Gilchrist had a natural talent for cricket, and this was obviously a strength of his. If he never trained, practised in the nets or went to the gym, he would probably still play cricket far better than most people. But it was through his concentration on building his strengths that led him to be undoubtedly the best wicketkeeper-batsman the world has ever seen. If Gilchrist had spent most of his time concentrating on his weaknesses rather than his strengths we would never have seen him dominate the bowling attacks from around the world. 

But think beyond sporting parlance. Think of the leaders of any field and you will see people who have discovered, and then embraced, their strengths; for this was always the area they had the most potential to prosper.

Find those activities you get totally lost in and try and find ways to do more of these activities, focus on building and developing your strengths. 

It is the one thing that makes all the difference!

Warm wishes, 

Darren & Alison