GREATER STRENGTHS

Food plate - “My dog, she looks at me sometimes with that look, and I think maybe deep down inside she must know exactly how I feel. But then maybe she just wants the food off my plate.”

If you're like most of us, failure is not your best friend! But I like the attitude of one man. "I don't say I have strengths and weaknesses," he asserts. "I say I have strengths and lesser strengths." That's me! Lots of strengths...many of them "lesser strengths!"

One of my "lesser strengths" may be in the area of art. But the day my three-year-old asked me to draw a picture of a horse on his chalkboard, I agreed anyway. And it wasn't too bad.... Well, it wasn't very good, either. It reminded me a little of a mongrel dog with hooves, but as they say, I've seen worse. (My own drawings, of course.) However, I did feel better about the picture when his preschool friend stopped by to play, looked into his room and asked, "Who drew the horse?" I even felt a bit proud! So I gladly announced, "I did!"

There was a moment of silence as a look of confusion swept her face. Then she asked, "Did you draw it when you were a baby?"

Everyone's an art critic!

But I'm thankful to my son's friend for reminding me about my strengths. Sure, I'd starve as an artist, but I don't have to excel at art. I have other strengths. And I can marvel at good art while I pursue other activities.

John Wooden said, "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." There's nothing wrong with a list of things you are not able to do. These are just your lesser strengths. The key is to choose your greater strengths well. What is important to you? What must you excel at? And what can you do well? Focus on these priorities and your lesser strengths won't matter much.

But don't ask me for a picture of a horse.

From Lifesupport.