What George Washington taught us...Fix Your Weaknesses... July 08 2015
I had a writing assignment a while back and it was on George Washington as a leader. I learned a great deal about his various battles and his leadership skills, but one thing that stood out was how he focused on weaknesses and sought about ways to fix them:
WHAT GEORGE WASHINGTON TAUGHT US
Covering: Washington knew that winters were harsh and some of his men were only boys without winter clothing. He had new uniforms made for all his men.
Location: He also looked at where his men slept and would walk around the camp to see where they were exposed. Instead of letting them sleep in valleys where they could be shot at from above, he set them on high mountains so they could also see the enemy approaching.
Supplies: In the harsh winters when they were in battle, he would take all the supplies from the enemy's camp to ensure his men had ammunition, more coats and that they could eat.
Training: Washington also watched his men to see how they fought and he sought out ways to retrain them so they knew how to fight in battle, in hand to hand combat and how to march in unison.
HOW TO FIX OUR OWN LIVES
In our own lives, there are ways we can apply these same tools. This is especially helpful if you find that you have areas where you may feel exposed:
Education: If you didn't finish school, go back and finish so you can move forward with your degree. Don't be embarrassed because a lot of people leave college early if they have to work full-time, but just know that you can always take one or two classes at night or an online class on the weekends.
Background: If you made mistakes in your past, don't beat yourself up. Learn from your mistakes and close that chapter of your book - it's only a chapter. What is it that makes you feel ashamed? A child out of wedlock? A criminal past? A drug addiction a few years ago? Because everyone makes mistakes when they're young, now's the perfect time to get your life back on track and clean up your act. Get involved in helping others because with outreach initiatives, neighborhood programs and even Big Brother and Big Sister mentoring programs, you can give back and help to steer others in the right direction.
Emotions: Are you insecure? Do you get scared and panic easily? Do you have a hot temper? Whatever the issue is, start to research it online. There are a lot of great articles online about building your emotional security, having a stronger character, and building self confidence. For that hot temper, you can learn to meditate or take up yoga. Even if you panic a lot in certain situations, read about it. You'll find that there are a lot of educational tips and pointers that can help you to calm down and gain control of your emotions.
TACTICS YOUR ENEMY MIGHT USE
Your enemy could be a work rival who wants your position or just doesn't like you. It could be a miserable person who is trying to undermine you. Whoever it is, don't give them power over you by trying to hide your mistakes. Don't hide them fix them. Your enemy might try to get you angry if they know you're a hot head - Guess who just lost the promotion? Your enemy might try to make you feel insecure by verbally abusing you so they look better, or they could try to remind you of that time you used to drink and party a lot. It's emotional sabotage and verbal abuse. Don't settle for it. Get up and walk away.
Because your enemy is always going to target your weak areas, fix them yourself. That way you're stronger everyday, you feel more empowered and you can then help to lead others. Like Washington, you might have to take that step back to see where you are exposed and where you have open wounds so you can fix them before your enemy attacks your weak spots.
About the Author: Kassandra Hall is a gifted and successful writer who has been writing freelance for the past few years. She is currently attending graduate school for business and finance. With her focus on leadership and entrepreneurship, her writing has been used in various publications, ebooks, articles, blogs, tutorials, and websites. She has also worked through Elance, Freelancer, oDesk and other writing sites.
She is the featured writer on the website, God-Driven-Designs. She works as a writer, blogger, and business mentor, where she focuses on process writing, entrepreneurship and ways to help women in business and small business owners with their marketing efforts. In her free time, she loves exercise, healthy eating, traveling, writing and working on inspirational prayer cards.
