“Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength until you come face-to-face with your greatest weakness.”
(Susan Gale)

There’s no such thing as a “strong person,” or a “weak person.” All of us have certain strengths in certain areas, and weakness in others. For example, in the physical arena, I can bench my weight but I can’t squat even half that. (Skipped too many leg days, I know).

Same holds true in the mental and emotional arenas of the self. I’ve met scores of people who can maintain and restrain themselves at work, even in the heat of tense negotiations—but heaven help their kids when they get home.

My greatest area of weakness is anything to do with money. I’ve made little, and I’ve made a lot. I’ve seen large debts, and I’ve cashed good-sized bonuses. My anxiety is the only thing that seems to stay level through it all, and a pretty high level at that. Simply put, I may not be the right guy to write ScreamFree Money Management. Unfortunately, life doesn’t excuse me from having to work on this weakness. Yes, I could delegate the details to others, and I do some. But my anxiety is not their problem—it’s my growth area.

So what’s the arena that stirs up your anxiety the most? Can you admit it outloud? I’m pretty sure you’re aware of it, yet you may not dare not speak of it. Well, I’ve got good news and bad news.

Bad news: Even though you may be terrified of admitting this area of weakness aloud, you don’t necessarily have to—the people closest to you already know what it is.

Good news: If you go and ask the people closest to you what area they think you struggle with most, you’ve already taken one of the most important, and powerful, steps toward strengthening it.

Ask ‘em. I dare you. Just make one sure you only say one thing in response: Thank you for telling me.

Peace,