I was watching House of Cards last night and the Chief of Staff and Secretary of State didn’t want to let the public know about the President’s weakness. They felt if the public knew and in particular if their enemies knew, that they might try and harm the US.

Obviously, It makes sense that if vulnerability is expressed that it creates an opportunity to be taken advantage of. So, as a result, we hide our vulnerability and we guard our weaknesses. Sometimes even from ourselves.

The hard part is that by guarding our weaknesses from ourselves we prevent any chance for growth or for progress. We deny ourselves the opportunity to become something extraordinary.

Over my lifetime I’ve been absolutely terrible at lots of things, I was a terrible volleyball player, I was a terrible soccer player, I was terrible in English, I was a terrible actor, I was an awful sales rep, I was a horrible boyfriend…I mean the list is endless.

Part of the key to that transition was I didn’t protect myself from my weakness. I admitted that I was awful and stared right at it. No judgement just acceptance. I was honest. In fact I was brutally honest with myself about where I stood. No excuses, no blaming, no denying…I just owned where I was.

Also, I didn’t just sit there and feel sorry myself. I decided I wanted something more. Something bigger, something so far beyond my current reality that it drove me and compelled me to go for the seemingly impossible.

The tricky part is when you are weak at something and you try and put yourself in an environment that is much stronger than you are…you get pummelled with ridicule, condescension, laughter and criticism. And it hurts. In the moment you know that you are not good enough but someday you will be. However, the ones pummelling you can’t see your someday…all they can see is your today.

Sylvester Stallone said it as well as anyone else, “the world is a mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees if you let it”

When you are on your way to better you have to drown out the world sometimes and just keep moving forward.

It will be tough, it will be embarrassing at times, and it will make you want to quit but understand the only way to greatness is through the adversity. The only way to reach your strength is through your weakness.

Be honest about your weakness. Don’t let your ego rob you of the opportunity you deserve.

In part 2 we’ll look at the steps to exploding beyond your weakness and becoming extraordinary in record time