Elite athlete and motivational speaker, Alex Noble, once said; Success is not a place at which one arrives, but rather the spirit with which one undertakes and continues the journey. Achieving great goals in life, your career, in this case requires that you make the best of your strengths and your weaknesses as well. Most people tend to focus on what they do or know best, and downplay what they believe lets them down. But experts observe that recognising one’s weakness can be just as important for their career success. In fact, in order to go further and achieve your goals in life, Dr Andrew E Ivang from the Department of Clinical Biology-Huye Campus, University of Rwanda, says learning how to improve on your weakness is the way to go, noting that when overlooked, weakness might hold one back from achievement. In order to know how to work on your weaknesses, Ivang says the first step is to recognise and acknowledge them, which starts with the willingness to admit them too. “This is a very powerful way to start off with because this level of acceptance gives one a sense of well-being, which makes you comfortable around others including at your workplace,” he says. Besides, the lecturer goes on to add that by embracing or acknowledging what you are weak at, allows you to build stronger connections with others, which starts with those around you appreciating who you are as well as value your authenticity. Aminadhad Niyonshuti, another educator in Kigali believes that learning and improving is another way to work on a person’s weakness. According to him, knowing your weaknesses gives you a clearer understanding of things that may be holding you back from achieving your goals. “If this is understood well, then it gives one an opportunity to work around finding ways to not letting their weaknesses pull them behind,” he says. On the other hand, Niyonshuti points out that if one chooses to focus on things they are weak at; it decreases their self-confidence, enthusiasm and overall performance in everything they undertake. “For this reason, working on your weaknesses is important as it contributes to personal growth, which at the end is essential for self-development and personal growth in general,” he says. Jackline Iribagiza, a counsellor says if one embraces their weaknesses, it is one way to working on them and that also, doing so allows them to make positive changes in their life and creates opportunities for growth. In this case, she says focusing on taking full responsibility for your weakness results to several positive changes, including unveiling hidden potential and creating significant momentum in your life. The counsellor notes that appreciating your vulnerabilities and facing your fears is another way of dealing with your weakness. “Start by admitting your flaws. Then, decide how you can and will deal with that fear. In doing so, I believe one is making a plan on how best they can get over their fears,” she says. According to Dr Ivang, learning from your mistakes and perceiving them as lessons learned or growing pains can help a person become a better version of themselves. Niyonshuti says celebrating your differences is another way of dealing with your weakness. To him, differences make each of us unique as well as set us apart. “One should understand that it is okay not to blend in and instead stand out. Having new and different ideas can foster more productivity and creativity,” he says.
