Be aware of your positive attributes, for they are your kryptonite.

There are many things that I bring to the table, please note that I mean this in the most honest, non-conceited way! All of us have much to offer! Passion is the driving force to all my ways of being – work ethic, quest for being the best version of myself, inquiry of life, way I love, etc. My skill sets are merely an output of my character and my character traits derive from this mentioned “Passion”, or attribute.

On a level of measure, I can credit Passion for many of my successes in life. My hard work has entered me into relationships that have served as building blocks to opportunity; some in which I have engaged and others still in the process of presenting themselves. My spirituality has provided me with wisdom to accept the things I cannot change, given me the courage to trust the journey, and share myself fully with others. My love runs deep; I love hard and authentically. All of the “ways of being” I just described stem from Passion. I am strong, and bold, and vulnerable, and trusting, and raw and as my best friend loves to describe it, “unapologetically myself”, and I don’t give a damn about much else. Passion is responsible for this.
Passion is the reason I’m sitting here writing, why I live an intentional lifestyle. I mean, the list goes on. I think it is safe to summarize Passion as my “way of being”.
Think for a moment about a strong attribute that is present in your being – what positive outcomes can you attribute to your Superpower?
Now think again, has this same Superpower ever been your weakness?
Newtons Third Law: For every Action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you have ever engaged in conversation with me, you know how I feel about Sir Isaac Newton – this man was not just referencing physics (and I’m passionate about that LOL)! I don’t remember much from high school physics or its education at that, but I can distinctly recall this lesson plan sticking with me. For whatever reason, these Laws just spoke to me! It clicked, the lesson plan was simple; we smashed two marbles together of the same (or different) force and they traveled in opposition direction of equal force (or stopped in their tracks). Here’s my scientific definition: smash marbles together (action) they move apart (reaction).
Be aware; the sword may be just as sharp on the other side. My passion can sometimes blind me, strap me into one hell of an emotional ride, be the reason I beat myself up at times.
Since I’m passionate about my journey, I want it to reveal itself more quickly and when it doesn’t, I ponder what I’m doing wrong. Then my passion of trusting the journey kicks back in. It’s a balance (more on that later).
A recent story I’ll share to help paint the picture I’m intending to describe – During a conversation with a trusted company executive and friend, a comment about my work either was made. The conversation was around a recent company re-structure, I had called the meeting for advisement on how I should handle am upcoming meeting with our new CEO, my old boss, and my new boss (my passion got the best of me and nothing went as planned, FYI). The comment was intended to be a compliment and it was, but it also got me thinking and is the reason for diving into this topic.
This individual stated, “Meaghan you’re what we call a ‘plug and play’ we unplug you here and plug you in here and you’re just as good, if not better, at the new tasks as you were the old! Companies don’t often come across someone as multi-faceted as you, being this way is great for the company but confusing for you and I think we have taken advantage of you and caused some confusion.”
Trust me, it was wonderful being affirmed that I was busting my balls and someone saw it! But daaaamnnn man! I had to dig deeper; does my hard work lead to being taken advantage of? Why am I working so hard for someone else? Why do literally lose sleep over my job? The list goes on.
The point is, I got myself into this situation because of Passion. Passion to work hard, Passion to be great, Passion to be impactful and make a name for myself. I’m not saying ANY of this is bad or wrong, please don’t get it twisted, I’m not “blaming” Passion, it’s just the reality that the sword is just as sharp on one side as it is the other. Because I work so hard (action), I am an asset to a company(reaction). Being as asset results in contributing in whatever way to serve the company doing so means being relied upon no matter what because you’ll show up. I always show up. My friend calls it “taking out the trash” I’ll ring him with overwhelm and he’ll ask, “Meaghan are you taking out the trash again?”. Those words bring me back.
Okay, I’ve digressed, majorly. Let me wrap this up.
I move (pun intended) with awareness. I’m not writing to tell you to your positive attributes are your demise. I’m writing to share insight into awareness; being able to recognize and accept the attributes one might possess leads to operating from an energy field of power. Find the middle ground in your attributes; balance is key.