Imperfections are often seen as the chink in the armour, an Achilles heel that most people won’t broadcast in the workplace. But imperfections can be powerful when it’s transformed—by embracing them.
Do not view your imperfections as stumbling blocks. Instead, identifying your weaknesses is an indicator for improvement. Only by having areas of improvement pointed out to us and even getting called out for it, can we begin to improve our work.
So, if you allocate all that time to self-development, how can you do it, and what can you potentially learn?
Here are 3 things you can learn throughout your process of improvement:
1. Thinking in perspective
Psychiatrist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Adolf Meyer says that human thoughts evolve through neurobiological changes—where the brain can reorganise due to experiences. Other complex interplays includes social and cultural influences, education quality, environment and more.
Rebecca Tan Sin Rou, Recruitment Consultant at Good Job Creations, shared that a positive attitude stems from a positive mindset. You’d be surprised how development in one area of your life can potentially affect your actions.
Working on your weaknesses requires a deeper understanding of yourself, which can be done through self-reflection and acknowledgement. By getting constructive feedback from others, you can also get a new perspective to view your areas of improvement.
Here are some ways to experience new perspectives:
- Keep a lookout for books that offer you a wealth of perspectives
- Podcasts and TED talks offer insights from experts worldwide on diverse subjects
- Experience different cultures and diverse ways of living by travelling and cultural immersion
- Online forums such as Reddit and Quora allow you engage with people from different backgrounds.
2. Make problem-solving interesting
This skill is often misunderstood by many. Some may think that problem-solving involves solving problems quickly, that there’s only one correct solution, or that it’s a skill for the ones with the higher IQ.
If you want to master problem-solving but don’t know where to start, we suggest observing how others do it. Don’t just mimic, rather, evaluate the impact of their decisions and actions, ask them about their values and what they believe, learn what inspires them and where they draw knowledge.
Another method is to incorporate fun to stimulate your brain development. It could be teambuilding activities, a video game or problem-solving platforms on the internet—the options are endless.
Say you’ve identified your area of weakness – addressing it will involve critical thinking, thorough analysis and evaluation of the overall issue. Such a process enhances your ability to assess problems objectively, compartmentalise them and understand the underlying issues.
As you tackle them, it encourages you to think outside the box and explore unconventional ways; this, in turn, fosters brain creativity and cognitive fitness that exercises your brain to better reason, generate and experiment.
3. Enhanced emotional intelligence
Working on weaknesses often incurs a series of emotions – frustration, disappointment or insecurity – yet this is also a time when you can practice self-management.
For context, if you struggle during big meetings due to anxiety, you can manage that anxiety through breathing exercises and even reframing negative thoughts. If you are seeking help or advice from others, you will need to learn how to communicate your needs effectively. Be specific with what you want to achieve, practice active listening to allow yourself to reflect and retain useful information, and foster meaningful relationships that spur you toward growth.
Through this, you’d also be able to empathise with other people’s weaknesses and support them in ways you know best, which in return induces continuous learning.
Rebecca also shared that accepting and acknowledging your worth is important throughout this development journey. Ultimately, it’s important to be kind to yourself. When you see an opportunity for improvement, and if it’s within your power to do so, why not choose growth?
This article is contributed by Good Jobs Creation.
