I have two older sisters, and while we are all seemingly similar in personality, we are very different at the core of who we are. If you met us at a party, you would think we are all friendly and outgoing -- perhaps all being extroverts. But if you peel back the layers of who we really are, we are very different.
I view the three of us on a continuum, with my oldest sister at one end, and my middle sister at the other end. And I am pretty much smack dab in the middle. Let me explain what I mean. At one extreme, my oldest sister is the ultimate "Type A" personality. She's a perfectionist and an overachiever. She worries about what other people think of her, her family, and her life. She needs to impress. She needs to be the best. And that includes her son (think "Tiger Mom").
Then at the other extreme, my middle sister is definitely a "Type B" personality. She is laid back, accepting, flexible, and perhaps even a bit of an underachiever. While she has a college degree, she never really found a career she's passionate about. And she has two grown kids. She was nurturing, but never pushed them to do anything they didn't want to do. In fact, she almost had a "hands-off" parenting style.
And here I am in the middle. I am not an overachiever nor an underachiever. I call myself simply an achiever. And depending on who you compare me to, I can be either a "Type A" OR a "Type B" personality. I like to call myself "Type A-/B+". I am not a perfectionist. But I can be competitive and ambitious - within reason. I have relatively strict rules for my kids, but I'm flexible and reasonable. I want them to be who they want to be, and I don't force them to do anything they aren't interested in doing. I see them for who they are, and do the best I can to help them set high goals, but also support them when they make mistakes.
I don't know if I gave you a clear enough description of the differences between the three of us, but it's hard to do in just one paragraph each. The point is that I can sit here and write in some detail about exactly who I am, and who both of my sisters are. And I think I'm pretty accurate.
My middle sister is self-aware too. She knows herself. She knows her strengths and weaknesses. However, my oldest sister is the opposite. She is pretty much blind to a lot of things about herself. Don't get me wrong - I love her dearly. But my other sister and I often shake our heads when she thinks she's one way - and she's actually the opposite.
So that got me thinking even more about myself. I do know my weaknesses. However, I don't really like that word. I believe everyone is inherently different - and that's okay. We can't all be good at everything!
Unfortunately, my "weaknesses" lie in everyday, mundane things. I am pretty good at doing things in my career, in relationships, and other things like that. But the daily tasks...well...anyone who knows me knows that I can improve in a lot of areas in that category.
So I will share some of them with you.
1.Laundry
Laundry is the bane of my existence. It is mundane and boring. I let the clean clothes pile up until I absolutely have to fold them and put them away - only because I ran out of room in the clean baskets.
2.Cooking
I also think cooking is mind-numbingly boring. I hate chopping things and trying to time everything just right. I hate details, and I think cooking involves keeping track of a lot of details. So I try to cook simple and easy recipes as much as possible (or go out to eat!).
3.Cleaning & Organizing
Don't get me wrong - I'm not a hoarder by any stretch of the imagination. I have a basically clean house, but I hate cleaning. And back to my disgust of details - organizing just makes me insane. So I have piles here and there and don't know what to do with them.
4.Clipping coupons to save money
When I hear about how much money people save just from clipping coupons, I am amazed. To me, it's mundane and tedious. But I know there is a lot of value and I should do it!
We all have areas in which we can improve ourselves. But as I like to say, "you can't change what you don't recognize." And if you recognize it, I think you should take some steps to try to improve - even if they're baby steps. I know I'm going to try. What about you?