Strengths and Weaknesses are like Hero and the Villan of a movie. The hero in the movie is always nice and full of goodies while the Villan in any movie is always bad and ugly. None wants to be Villan but all aspire to be Villan!
Why it is good and bad about strengths and weaknesses?.
Why is one above the other?
Why strengths are on a higher pedestal while weaknesses are looked down?
Why do we want to have strengths and don’t want weaknesses?
Can they stay as strengths and weaknesses?
Can we not do much about them but receive them as two sides of the same coin?
Can we not work on “improving” on weaknesses but receive them as a discovery of self?
When someone says to the child ” you are good in sports but weak in connecting with people?”. Why one does not need to do anything about the sports but would love to improve on connecting with people or feel low about self because one does not connect with people? Or we even justify ” it’s okay to be not good in connecting with people”? But we don’t say “it’s okay to be good in sports”? One even justify by looking at weaknesses through the strengths window “it’s an asset to be alone”. The point is can we let them as it is? Can they be just two different things with the equal acceptance of both?
Once someone shared “self-assessment can be depressing. Discovery of self-weaknesses can be destructive energy as this can makes you feel low”?
Why is a discovery of weaknesses depression? While the discovery of strengths is a motivation? Are they not same? Why one needs to convert weaknesses into strengths?
Can our children grow with both? Can they grow with their weaknesses as well as strengths without changing any one of them? Can the discovery of both be accepted as it is without any mending or judgment about any of them?
At Aarohi children do self-assessment, facilitation notes in each child’s portfolio are based on some of our observations and experiences with working with the child. Strengths and weaknesses are not our prescription or appreciation, but just an observation with a different point of view. They are just choices which the child can reject or accept. Each child is perfect with his or her imperfections :).