Freak Factor

The Freak Factor

This article is basically about how to come to terms with weaknesses that you feel you have, in order to be a stronger person.  His suggestions are to acknowledge the weakness, realize it's not wrong to have flaws, forget it, work on your strengths, and then put them to work.

I like the idea of number seven, because I believe that anyone can contribute to anything if they are placed where they can best use their skills.  I learned this at a young age from my dad, who coached my rec. league basketball team.  There were stand out athletes that could do anything with a basketball, and then there were others that didn't seem like they should ever be on a court.  My dad was always great at finding one thing that everyone was good at, and then having them focus on it.  He found out that one kid was really good at setting picks to let the ball carrier get away from his defender, another kid couldn't keep up with defenders, but if the ball was put right in front of him, he would always steal it.  My dad always found these small ways for everyone to contribute, and everyone had their place.  I always try to find my place in a group where I can best contribute.

I also like the third idea, to realize that just because you have flaws doesn't mean there's something wrong with you.  Everyone has flaws, and commonly these flaws are the flip side of a strength we posses.  I think accepting this helps keep a more positive attitude about yourself, and boosts your self esteem.  I feel that I do this, I don't forget about my flaws all together, but I just do the best that I can to not make the same mistakes that I have in the past.  I believe that with hard work, flaws can be overcome.

My last statement obviously puts me in direct contrast with the fourth idea; forget about your weakness.  I think this is a terrible idea.  His bullet points supporting his idea such as it takes time, and it's painful are straight from the mind set of a loser.  Successful people don't simply realize they have faults, and then forget about them because they take too long, or are too difficult to fix.  This idea of indifference about weakness is the greatest weakness of all in my opinion.  I would never criticize a person for being overweight that I see in the gym, they are doing their best to get in better shape and overcome the physical dangers of obesity.  Someone who decides that exercise takes too long to make a difference, and it hurts too bad, so they decide to just forget about being overweight does not have the mindset of a successful person, and will have to face the dangerous consequences.  This is just one example of how forgetting a weakness can come back to hurt you. Other weaknesses are not as serious, but some can tear you apart inside.  I think that every weakness should be acknowledged, accepted, and dealt with to the best of one's ability.