The world of sports is a beautiful way to reflect on life. I once heard someone say, ‘Sports is life in a petri dish,’ and that sums up the power of sports. It is common in sports to see an extreme example of a specialist. A specialist is a player with a wildly unique skill that stands out among the other incredibly skilled individuals. Stephen Curry’s shooting ability, Tom Brady’s throwing accuracy, and Lionel Messi’s free kicks are unique skills that set these stars apart among the world’s most skilled stars.
These specialists have skills that put them on the cutting edge of their sports, but there is a difference between being on the cutting edge and crossing over to a bleeding edge. Strengths, when not handled with care, can turn into fatal weaknesses. It happens in every industry and on every level of expertise. President Calvin Coolidge summed it well when he said, ‘…nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful men with talent…unrewarded genius is almost a proverb…the world is full of educated derelicts.’
What about you? What’s your strength? We all have something that puts us on the cutting edge somehow, so here are five ways to ensure your strength doesn’t put you on the bleeding edge.
OVERESTIMATING OUR STRENGTHS - One of the most vivid images of my high school basketball career was my coach’s face when one of our players attempted to dunk a basketball in the 4th quarter of a tightly contested game. However, he had never dunked before in his life. The young man was a good athlete but badly overestimated himself at that stage in his career, costing his entire team. Be very careful with your strengths. Estimate them accurately. People are depending on you.
ASSUMING OUR STRENGTHS FORGIVE OUR CHARACTER WEAKNESS - Young movie stars making poor choices in their personal life and living out the consequences of those mistakes in a sad adulthood is more the norm than the exception. Why? Because their strengths took them to places, their character was not strong enough to sustain. Remember this - competence is essential, but character is more important. Albert Einstein once reflected solemnly, ‘The last thing to collapse is the surface.’ Don’t let the front porch appearance of your strengths cause you to ignore the foundation of your character.
OVERSTATING OUR STRENGTHS - I reflected recently that no matter how big a fish you think you are, it’s a big world out there, and a bigger fish is always closer than you think. The boxing world was dominated for a time by ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. While preparing for an upcoming championship fight, a reporter asked Tyson about his opponent, who claimed to have the perfect plan to defeat Tyson. ‘Everyone has a plan ‘till they get punched in the face.’ The opponent kept touting his plan. Tyson won the fight.
IGNORING THE STRENGTHENING OF OUR STRENGTHS - In some cases, tremendous hard work goes into developing a strength. It is a well-earned strength, but at some point, the effectiveness of the strength can distract from what made it so compelling. Your strength begins to become a liability when you stop strengthening your strength. Never tire of doing what developed your strength.
NOT SHARING OUR STRENGTHS - My favorite author and theologian, Dallas Willard, once said, 'You were built to count, as water is made to run downhill. We are placed in a specific context to count in ways no one else does' The Bible tells us that God created us and has a unique purpose for each of our lives. Your strength has taken you to a bleeding edge if you are not using it for the good of others. Your strength is like a candle; it loses none of its light when it lights other candles. Share your strength for the benefit of others.
Keep on, keepin’ on, friends!
Bite Down and Don’t Let Go is a collection of writings on relentlessly leading yourself and others well. You can listen to the Bite Down and Don't Let Go podcast here!
Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader with more than two decades of experience. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart, and they have children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for inspirational thoughts and good laughs.
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