A fatal flaw is a key element in the downfall of a person or plan.
I know my fatal flaw but am so attached to it that I struggle to ease its grip on me. My fatal flaw is a pension for action. No matter what lands in my lap, my gut response is to do something about it. Immediately! Anything! Which is not necessarily the best course of action. Sometimes, the most logical move is to stop; to let things settle in calm and silence.
Maybe the gut reflex comes from my nursing background. In the ICU, problems demanded a definitive and rapid response. But, I haven’t worked in the ICU in decades. Why can’t I shake this? Because, all too often our fatal flaws provide ongoing comfort. By reacting the same way, we don’t have to develop new skills or feel the pain of change. Reflexes simply take over.
Do you know your fatal flaw? Maybe it’s time to stop and identify it. Why? Because our fatal flaws can take us down. Most of us simply become more entrenched with each passing year. It seems to be human nature. The elderly I work with become a more exaggerated version of who they were in earlier years. Not necessarily the ideal recipe for happiness in our golden years.
Take a moment to name your flaw, make eye contact, and determine if you want to chip away at its control. Because this is an internal battle it isn’t conducive to outsourcing. I’m going to work on mine. Feel free to name your flaw, share it on this platform, and spread your story of success with us all.
Flawed; Debbie, love this topic. I was raised with the concept that we’re all fallible human- beings, which may just be a rationalization that we screw up by being-human. So I’ll see if I can get a discussion going. My FLAW is Responsibility. The overwhelming feeling that I suppose to resolve any issue. I don’t believe it’s a narcissistic trait “that only I’m capable to doing it right”, but a scientific/sociological view of “I can figure this out” or “we can do better, but how”. This is a double edge sword. I’m hyper vigilant to “issues”. I don’t let things slide. My brain has data points that require closure. My career has been built on other people’s perspective that I “get shit done”. As my wife will attest, not everyone wants their problem solved…just listen and empathize. That’s a strange language for me, someone vents a problem, I solve! So, I’m learning not to own it, listen, empathize, and don’t resolve. I think I’m getting better, guess you have to ask my wife.