Across numerous social media platforms, we have a wealth of opportunities to showcase ourselves.  These platforms have given us a chance to reconnect with friends from the past and get real-time updates on those we care about most.

With all the fanfare on the upside of life being put in front of us across our favorite social media sites, one area of reality that continually gets hidden in the mix is the acknowledgement of where we fall short in being our best self.

Let’s face it, we all fall short from time to time and have areas where we continue to struggle.

As we continue our journey to build and strengthen our character, the courage to acknowledge and address the times we fall short is an important element to help us reach our full potential and have a positive impact on others.

We all fall short in some areas which adds to our uniqueness as humans.  Here are few areas that perhaps many of us can relate to:

• We harbor struggles from past experiences that weigh on our outlook in the present and hope for the future.
• We have a shy personality that holds us back from reaching out to new experiences and people.
• We have a short temper that harms a close relationship.
• We dislike numbers and details that result in some painful situations with our finances.
• We dream a little too much which leaves us little time and energy to do what needs to be done…or we spend too much time hustling in all directions and could benefit from a little more dreaming to gain a clear direction.

Regardless of our unique areas where we fall short from time to time, the genuine and authentic acknowledgement of these areas, provides us with several benefits:

(1) We can be in a healthy position to address them.

Once we have the courage and maturity to see them for what they are, we are taking the first step to minimize their potential negative impact on our situation.  This first step opens the door for a game plan to effectively deal with a shortcoming.

(2) We provide someone the opportunity to show their strength.

The diversity of strengths and weaknesses in relationships in the home and teams at work or in our community helps us be more effective.  In addition, acknowledging the strength of others in an area where we fall short forms a strong foundation for building health and commitment in a relationship.  Knowing we are helping someone in need is a strong attraction to strengthen commitment and loyalty in a close relationship.  For those most intimate of relationships, consistently acknowledging someone’s strength in an area where we struggle can help over time to lessen the impact of the typical points of friction in close relationships.

(3) We open a door for the admiration of others.

When was the last time we told someone close to us that we admire them for a particular strength?  In the busyness of our lives, we somehow lost the significance of the fine art of admiration and the acknowledgement of the everyday heroes in our lives.  More than likely, they are not seen on the nightly news, but their impact on us is much greater than those we see in the headlines. Their unique strength may be what supports us in an area where we fall short consistently and keeps our family or our team moving forward in an effective direction.  We should reach out with admiration to those we care about most as I am sure they would love to hear from us.

As we gain the courage to acknowledge some areas where we fall short, we build and strengthen our character and Character Creates Opportunity to reach our full potential and have a positive impact on others.