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Turn your weakness into a badge of honor



Start thinking of them as gifts

Turning weaknesses into strengths



You know the exact moment my ADHD was no longer a weakness?

The day I decided it was a superpower.

You know the exact moment I stopped hating my body?

The day I realized that I could swim longer than almost anyone else because of how I'm built.

Every one of us has something about us we hate, and we waste so much time hating it.

Instead of hating it, realize that it's because of that thing that you are as awesome as you are.

My ADHD caused me so much grief growing up, but it's that same ADHD that taught me to do things faster, to think differently, and has given me the success I've enjoyed throughout my adult life. It's that ADHD that helped me create HARO, helps me go on stage all the time, helps me go on TV, helps me live the life I want to live.

I once got a huge company to pay a decent amount of money for me to wear their logo on my shirt during a marathon - Why? Because I convinced them that I'd be out on that course, showing off their logo for twice the amount of time that the person who won the race would. Sounds funny - But it's true!

Stop thinking of your weaknesses as weaknesses. Start thinking of them as gifts. Because if you allow them to be, that's exactly what they are.

Much love,

Peter

Peter Shankman is an entrepreneur, an author and a trainer living in New York City. He is a stay at home dad as well. Check out his blog.



Other articles by Peter Shankman


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  • The value of your time = The value of your mental health

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    Your mental health and your time are closely related. If you're constantly running around complaining that you don't have enough time, that has a negative effect on every aspect of your life. If there's an easy way to fix that, I can't imagine anything in the world more worth the spending of a few extra dollars. read more »
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    Here's my birthday wish for you

    (If we've been communicating for longer than a year, you've received this before. But that said, it's good to reread. It's good for all of us to reread every once in a while. (And I added a new one at #10.)) read more »
  • What to do When You're Having "One of those Weeks"...

    Just breathe and realize you can't control everything

    Ever have a truly horrible week, where within the first 12 hours, you know it's not going to get any better? Yeah. That's me this week. read more »
  • Lessons from the African Plains

    You don't know your own power until you use it

    We don't know how strong we are until we're called on to be that strong. We don't know our power until we stand up to a bully, until we stop caring what others think of us, until we demand better service, until we raise our prices, until we stop allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of. read more »
  • Embrace your fear

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    Best selling author, Peter Shankman, thinks resolutions are the stupidest things in the world. They rarely succeed, because we're a society that values "instant wins," and you just don't get them from resolutions. read more »
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    Skydivers have a bunch of interesting traditions. Specific fist-bumps before exiting the plane to keep us safe. Being hit by a pie after your 100th jump. But one of them is deadly serious. It's called "decision altitude." What is yours? read more »
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