A Strength And Its Shadow: Lessons From A Two-Toned Car

Green and orange: that was the colour of our family car – bright orange covering the top; dark forest green covering the bottom. My dad was a traveling salesman and spent a lot of time out of town. Apparently, this was his way of keeping track of my mom as she went about her day.

Needless to say, it failed: Mom simply found other ways to get around. On top of that, it did nothing to enhance their relationship.

Why do I bring this up? Well, as first-hand witness to this set of events, I internalized this in my own life as a rule: be subtle; find quiet ways to get what I wanted. In short, it honed the development of my cunning mind.

Cunning is a strength of mine. It means that I plan and think things through before choosing a path. I tend to be good at games like chess and checkers. It probably contributed to my success at planning complex events and running large projects. It was also central to getting my way, and that involved the subtle manipulation of others.

Cunning isn’t all good or all bad. It’s a strength, and depends on how it’s used.

I’ve grown to be aware of how I can use it to manipulate, even to manipulate myself. Over time, I’ve learned to turn it to better use by becoming master of my cunning mind.

We all have strengths. They are truly great and help us grow. But, as in classic tragedies, strengths can also be our Achilles heel.

What are your strengths? How can you become master of them?

Quote of the Week

A genius in the wrong position could look like a fool.

― Idowu Koyenikan

What can make me an Olympic champion can also kill me

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Maryanne Nicholls is a Registered Psychotherapist.  To find out more, gain access to her weekly newsletter, meditations and programs, sign up at www.thejoyofliving.co . 

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