Braggity Brag Brag

This list (you know, the list of goals that this whole blog revolves around) was written at a time in which I didn't feel very good about myself. For that reason, one of the goals that I added to the overall list was making a list of things that I like about myself.

The end of the established time line for achieving all these goals is fast approaching, and I still haven't completed this task (until today, obviously). Why? There isn't a good reason - it should be an easy to task to complete, and doesn't take up a large amount of time. 

Better late than never, right?

Despite feeling confident, and knowing that I'm in a good place in my life at the moment, it was still difficult to make this list. Here are some things that I like about myself:

- I have pretty hair.
- I have nice eyes. 
- I am empathetic. 
- I am intelligent.
- I am kind and respectful.
- I am a caring and thoughtful wife.
- I am a caring and thoughtful daughter. 
- I am well informed about current events.
- I am open to opinions other than my own.
- I am willing to change my thoughts and opinions.
- I am able to be spontaneous. 
- I am (fairly) well-traveled and open to new experiences.
- I can run.
- I make wellness a priority in my life.
- I am a bookworm. 
- I am an introvert.
- I can have an intelligent conversation about soccer.
- I have successfully lost 67 lbs.
- I am a good instructor.
- I am willing to admit when I've made a mistake.
- I am candid (which is sometimes funny).

For the purposes of this blog, this list is extensive enough. Of course, I do plan to house this list elsewhere, and add things as they come to mind. 

I think that this is a good practice for anyone. If you're familiar with the premise behind StrengthsFinder, it suggests that we should focus on growing and developing our strengths. Usually, the message is that since we're already strong in those areas, it would make more sense to focus on improving our weakness in order to be more well-rounded individuals. StrengthsFinder rejects that line of thinking and instead argues that we should keep working on bettering our strengths.

My weaknesses are my weakness for a reason. There are some things that I'm just never going to be able to do well, and that's okay. So why focus on those things? Instead, we should focus on the things that we can do well in, and become even more skilled in those areas.

Of course, there are some things that can be changed and improved. For example, if I don't like my hair, I am able to change it quite easily.  I can't, however, make myself a better artist - I don't have the natural ability needed to draw or paint. It would be silly to invest in this weakness of mine, because it will always be a weakness despite my best efforts.

Instead of fretting over those weakness, I can work on cultivating my strengths and increasing my potential for growth in those areas. And isn't that a much better way to approach life?