“I think that it is useless to fight directly against natural weaknesses….in the ordinary course of life one has to know these weaknesses, prudently take them into account, and strive to turn them into good purpose; for they are capable of being put to some good purpose.”
-Simone Weil, Waiting for God
We all have our own weaknesses whether we like to admit it or not. We also often try so hard to improve on these weaknesses and divert our attention away from focus on our strengths. French philosopher, mystic, and political activist Simone Weil’s quote she reminds us that this struggle to fight and/or improve upon those natural weaknesses is in essence wasted energy in that we are always trying to fix everything about our weaknesses instead of taking it for what it worth and applying things more so towards turning them into a greater purpose. Don’t get me wrong, this would be a complete mind shift in our thinking but something that is necessary for our own personal growth.
Often times it is our weaknesses that are someone else’s strengths and their weaknesses are your strengths. This helps to balance everything. We must keep in mind not to become overly focused on perfection because that is truly an unachievable feat. If we go in with the mindset that any improvement in a weakness shows signs of growth we are able to build on this and use it towards that good purpose that Weil refers to. This good purpose can be building things towards a better community through enhancing our relationships with one another or increasing the communicative needs of the group. Whatever that purpose is can only be enhanced due to using those weaknesses towards our advantage. We have this all within our own control if we take the time to draw our attention to it.
What does this quote mean to you and how can you apply today’s message towards managing yourself better?
Becoming The Change 