Some of our best qualities can also be our worst attributes. During a job interview, one question asked what I considered my best quality. I told them I was a determined person with the ability to stick with a project. Then they asked me about my worst quality. I had to laugh. My worst quality is that I will stick with something like a pit bull and not let it go. Determined becomes stubborn and unyielding.
The heart of the matter is that we are always a blend of the best and the worst. In many cases, it’s the same attributes with a twist. A friend had a son who was always yelling instead of talking to those around him. He wanted everyone in the room to hear what he was saying. She reasoned that one day he might become a preacher.
I used to hide who I was to feel more accepted. I worried about what others might think of what I wrote or painted. What if they don’t like my creations? The new viral club that came out recently, The We Do Not Care Club, is hysterical. The idea that once you reach a certain age, you have the right not to care about certain things. Most of the items she talks about are things that people will judge. Maybe you’ve heard of it. If you haven’t listened to any of these videos, you should look them up. Being transparent and honest in this wild world can be difficult.
What’s your best quality? Is it a mixed bundle of things like mine? Take some time this year to ask God how he can help you to figure out how to make your talents work for you without fear of failure.
My decision for the new year is to allow myself to move forward into things that I find scary without fear of failure or criticism. I love communicating through writing and speaking. I love creating art, especially watercolor and paper crafts. I will use these things to point people to Jesus. Even if I do it imperfectly, I’ll do it. My hope is that my best quality will become the ability to move forward despite fear of failure.