Fifteen seconds

The clock is ticking

Hey, Runners!

I was watching a TikTok the other day of someone who was 35 talking about what they would tell their 25-year-old self if they could go back in time, and it got me thinking about what I would tell myself.

It’s an interesting exercise.

Let’s make it more interesting: If I could go back in time and only had 15 seconds to tell myself something, what would I say?

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What makes this such an interesting challenge is that fifteen seconds is not a very long time. It’s longer than you think, but not long enough to stuff in everything you’d want yourself to know.

And here’s the thing; all the obvious stuff, the things that would bypass the really big mistakes, I wouldn’t say. If the things that happened to me don’t happen, I don’t become me, and I like me. I don’t want who I am to change.

That makes it a tougher 15 seconds to plan. And yet, once I presented the question to myself, I knew immediately what I would say.

Find out what your strengths are, and lean into them.

That’s it. I don’t even need the whole 15 seconds.

I have spent most of my life wasting my time battling my weaknesses, instead of maximizing my impact by leaning into my strengths.

It was such a waste. Waste of time, waste of energy.

Waste of me.

Today’s Comments Assignment:

What would you tell your younger self if you only had 15 seconds?

Honestly, this realization has been one of the most powerful and transformative realizations of my life, and I still struggle with it. My first inclination in any circumstance where I am even a little unsure is to look to other people and do everything the way they say to do it.

And that’s okay. It’s okay to take advice in situations where you’re a novice, and start on a path laid out by someone else, as long as you’re willing to stray from it once you get your feet.

But first, before you listen to anything anyone else has to say (even me), you need to sit with yourself, lay out your strengths and capabilities, and only follow the advice that aligns with those strengths.

Do you know what your strengths are?

If not, you’re in luck, because it’s Strengths Week here on rotWIPs, and we’re gonna dig.