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Hello friends, many Missouri cloud and welcome to

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the Store Coffee Break The still. Coffee Breaks

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a weekly podcast were taken aspect of stoicism.

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And do my best to break a

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dentist important points A share my thoughts

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and my experiences. Both my successes and

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my failures and hope you can learn something

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from them. All within the space of a coffee break.

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So this. Week's episode is called finding

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your Genius, Flipping your flaws into

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features. Do.

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Think that you have strengths and weaknesses.

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What? If I told you that you don't. Today.

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I want to talk about her strengths And weaknesses

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are all a matter of perspective and context. Strive

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for excellence, not perfection because we

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often find excellence in our imperfections.

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Harry. Breaker. We.

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All have things that we like to think of

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as strengths and weaknesses. Maybe. A certain

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abilities or behaviors that we have that we're proud

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of and others that we'd rather put in a

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shoe box and hide in the attic and hope

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nobody will find them, especially ourselves. But.

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What if we're wrong about thinking of ourselves

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this way? What? If it's the

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way that we perceive these things that causes so

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much self doubt and anxiety. So.

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The other day I was listening to a podcast

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interview with Simon Cynic. And. He said something

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the really hit me like running into a

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brick wall. He said. I. Hate

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the conversation about what are your strengths

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and what are your weaknesses because everything

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requires context. You. Don't have strengths

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and weaknesses. You have characteristics and attributes

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and in the right context those restraints

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and in the wrong context in the

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wrong environment. Those are weaknesses. Always.

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So. It's better to know who you are and

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look for environments where those things are Advantages: And

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while this is something that I've always known. But.

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Either I was just in the right mindset

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or just the way the Simon put its

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are probably both. It made me stop them.

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And think about that idea for a minute. What?

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Have we been going about this all wrong? What?

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If rather than looking to so called

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weaknesses as that weaknesses and just started

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doing them as something more neutral, it

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is helpful in one context but not

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in another. Simon.

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Then motor gave an example about how is he

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had to work on a project alone. He

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would either create something a very low quality

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or the stress it would cause would take

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a toll on itself because he works better

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in teams. He knows that he

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functions far better surrounded by people that

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are able to help him because it's

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one of his attributes. Leading and working

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on a T. The.

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Pyramids action advances action.

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Would. Stance in the way becomes the way. Marcus.

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Or. Everybody

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is a genius, but if you judge a fish by

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it's ability to climb a tree, it will live it's

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whole life. Believing that is a stupid. Albert

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Einstein. The

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Stoics teach us a crucial lesson about

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perception. They. Tell us that the quality

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of our lives is determined not by what happens to

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us, but by how we choose to see it. In.

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Other words: Our. Strengths and weaknesses are

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two sides of the same point. In

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every weakness, there lies the strength. So.

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Let's apply this to our own trait

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Sally as turn the lens and viewer

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characteristics in a new light, discovering how

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what we see as vulnerabilities might actually

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be veiled. virtues. As take

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some common characteristics attributes that some of

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us have refrained them to see where

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these traits might be. Just the thing

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that helps us find success and find

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a little more happiness just by being

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ourselves. Let's.

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Say that you have a tendency to over think things. Maybe

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your mind spends like a hamster on a wheel

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and you find yourself going down rabbit holes when

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you get focused on an idea. While.

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This may cause some frustration, distraction,

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and sleepless nights in context that

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required detailed planning and foresight. the

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ability to think of all possible outcomes

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becomes a gift that helps avoid possible

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pitfalls and see opportunities that we might

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have missed Overthinkers are the

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ones that leave no stone unturned and

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help us chart the optimal path forward.

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There's great strength in being silent and listening.

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This is where the root of empathetic leadership grows.

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Susan Cain Often

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introversion can be seen as a social setback.

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But what if I told you it's actually your stealthy strength?

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In a world that can't stop talking, the

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quiet among us are the Olympic grade listeners.

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Stoicism urges us to value the power of

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listening, a skill that's absolutely

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golden in relationships, counseling, and leadership.

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While everyone else is trying to be

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heard, you're absorbing an understanding and ultimately

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wielding the power of knowledge. Introversion

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is often mistaken as a barrier to

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leadership and dynamism, but it

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actually holds within it the seeds of

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empathetic leadership. Introverts with

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a preference for deep thought and meaningful

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one-on-one connections can be uniquely

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positioned to lead with empathy, understanding,

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and a keen ear for listening.

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In an age where leadership is evolving

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beyond the loud and the charismatic, the

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introverted leader builds teams that feel seen,

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heard, and valued. Playing

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it safe is often frowned upon, especially in

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our go big or go home culture. But

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let's turn the tables and look at it through a more stoic

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perspective. The risk-averse individual,

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those who prefer the known paths

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to the potential perils of uncharted

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territory. While often

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criticized for a lack of boldness,

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their cautious approach makes them the

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conscientious conservatives of our world. They're

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the massacre of calculated risks, and

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their cautious approach gives them the ability to

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foresee and mitigate risks to

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plan with thoroughness and care. In

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situations that demand thorough risk assessment

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like financial investments or legal strategies

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or safety protocols, this so-called weakness

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becomes the cornerstone of wisdom. Where

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others gamble, the risk-averse navigate with a

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map and a compass turning pit-the-top. potential

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pitfalls into well-navigated journeys. It's

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not the boldness of the steps we take,

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but the soundness of the path that we

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choose that ensures our progress. Our

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greatest glory is not in never failing, but

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in rising up every time we fail. Ralph

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Waldo Emerson. Stubbornness

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gets a bad rap, often seen as a refusal

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to be flexible. Yet, under

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a different light, this so-called stubborn

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streak can be a laser-focused determination

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when channeled correctly, it becomes the relentless drive

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needed to bring projects across the finish line

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or to stand firm in one's values against

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peer pressure. An unwillingness to

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quit when things are tough and having

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the strength to persevere can be the

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thing that helps you succeed when others

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abandon ship. When others

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dither or flip-flop, being a stubborn

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yet principled person can help you

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be the lighthouse guiding ships without

6:53

unwavering conviction. Not

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daydreaming again? Instead of scolding

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yourself for not having both feet on the ground,

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consider this. Some of the

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greatest inventions and artwork were born from minds

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that dared to drift. Stoicism

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teaches us the value of perspective,

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and the daydreamer's perspective is one that

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reaches beyond the immediate horizon. Enrolls

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the demand creativity and innovation, the

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daydreamer is king. While

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others see what is, the

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daydreamer sees what could be, painting the

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canvas of the future with strokes of

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imagination. Next

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up, procrastination, the thief of time,

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or so they say. I

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certainly fall into the category of being a procrastinator,

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and I find it challenging to get things done

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early even though I know it would be a

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lot less stressful. I get

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distracted easily because I'm so interested and curious

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about so many things. Yet

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what if I told you that the

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habitual dawdler is actually a creative strategist

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in disguise? Innovation

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can be the brain's way of allowing ideas to

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marinate, leading to bursts of innovation

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and creativity. When the deadline

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looms, I often pull out solutions that

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a more time-efficient approach might never have

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uncovered. Here, the eleventh-hour rush

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becomes a crucible for brilliance. A

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gem cannot be polished without friction, nor

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a man perfected without trials. Chinese

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proverb. So

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how do we apply stoic reframing,

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turning perceived weaknesses into strengths? It

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starts with a shift in perception. Instead

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of labeling our traits as inherently good or bad,

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we view them as tools in our kit, each

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with this moment to shine. First,

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context is key. Before

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you judge a trait as weakness, ask, in

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what context might this be a strength? This

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is where the virtue of wisdom comes into play. Think

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of your traits as tools that just need to be used

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in the right situation. Remember, a spoon

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might seem a weak choice for cutting steak

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until you're served soup. Number

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two, balance your portfolio. Just

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like a savvy investor diversifies their

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portfolio, diversify your traits. Lean

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into your strengths, but don't shy away from

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those so-called weaknesses. They're your hidden

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assets. Three,

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reframe your narrative. Life's

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the lab, and you're the scientist. Start

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with leaning into your different traits in

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various contexts. Observe the outcomes. You

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might be surprised at what you discover. Number

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five, viva la difference.

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Appreciate your differences, and don't compare yourself with others.

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We all have different traits that make us better at

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some things than others. We

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need the differences to make a more

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complete, interesting, and dynamic world. If

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we were all exactly the same, the

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world would be a very uninteresting place. Number

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six, embrace growth. Finally,

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remember that growth is a stoic's game.

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Your traits are not set in stone. They're

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malleable, capable of being honed into sharper,

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stronger versions of themselves. In

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the grand tapestry of life, each thread, each

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trait and characteristic, plays a role in the

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larger pattern. What we perceive

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as weaknesses are often strengths waiting for their

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moment in the spotlight, asking for

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a change in perspective and a bit

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of stoic wisdom to shine. So

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the next time you catch yourself bemoaning a personal

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flaw, remember to reframe it like a

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stoic. With a bit of

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context, creativity, and a shift in perspective,

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you can turn that flaw into your

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signature strength and most prized asset. After

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all, in the grand scheme of things, it's not

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about the cards you're dealt, it's

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how you play the hand. And

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that's the end of this week's stoic coffee break. Be

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kind to yourself, be kind to others,

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and thanks for listening. Hey

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friends, just want to remind you to make sure

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that you follow me on social media. I

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post videos from time to time in different

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silly memes and whatnot that have to do

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with stoicism. You can find me

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on Instagram and threads at stoic.coffee and

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on Twitter at stoiccoffee. And

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you can also find me on LinkedIn if you'd

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like. I have a page there for the stoic

11:11

coffee break and my personal page as well. Thanks

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again for listening and have a great day. Bye.