One Step at a Time

I was asked a question in one of my classes, "what is the worst thing about you?" When I first heard this I thought to myself how hard a question this was to answer. It is always hardest to look at yourself and pick out the bad qualities. And as for myself, I enjoy the person that I am, and I am comfortable with my personality. But since I am not perfect, there is always room for improvement. So to set out to answer this question I had to solicit the help of my mom. The reason for that was because everyone knows that their mom knows them the best. The problem is that mothers tend to safeguard their children instead of telling them how it really is. Thankfully my mom is not one to mince words or beat around the bush. She will tell you like it is. Thanks mom, you're awesome.

When I asked her what she thought was the worst quality that I possessed, she was pretty quick to answer. At first she paused to think about it, and then told me that there really wasn't anything "bad" about my personality, but then the light came on and she gave me an answer that satisfied me. She said that one of the things that I wasn't very good at was being a social person. And I agree. I am not the kind of person to go out of my way to introduce myself to someone. I am an introverted kind of guy. There is a whole other story about how I became to be this way, but it is long, complicated, and I'm still figuring out the pieces to it.

She also pointed out that I am a pretty passive person as well. I am not one to go out and get myself in to the middle of an argument. I also have a high tolerance for things that people do (at least I think so). I don't let little things get to me. If it becomes a persistent problem I'll put my foot down, but it would have to be something significant. I take life as it comes, and roll with whatever comes my way. I don't like to add more stress on top of the amount that I have already. It's not good for my health.

So those are the answers that she gave me. Now when you look at it, they don't seem that bad. But to me they are areas for improvements. Up until now I haven't had any problems with these aspects of my personality, but my mom pointed out to me, that in the future when I go to have meaningful relationships with people i.e. girlfriends, wife, etc. that these traits might not be so favorable because they don't really allow for connection in a relationship. My mom is a psychologist, so she knows what she is talking about. And I agree with her 100% because I have seen things in my life that back up her statement. Luckily for me I have been aware of these "flaws" for awhile now (it isn't the first time that I have discussed this with my mom) and have been trying to improve them. I feel that I am doing a good job. It is a slow and steady process, but I have made steps within the last few years. I have become closer to my family and friends, and I am coming out of my shell a little bit more each day. I know that I still have a long way to go before I become a "social butterfly", and maybe that day will never come, but I will strive to do my best to improve myself. That is one thing that we as human beings have that other animal species don't. We have the ability to make ourselves better. We have great potential lying inside us. We just have to find the key to unlock that potential.