Lean Into Your Strengths Instead

Ancient Greek comedy-writer Aristophanes shared the wisdom that "You cannot teach a crab to walk straight." Taken at face-value, most of us agree, that is obvious. However, the larger point being made is that one cannot teach someone to go against their nature. If someone is an artist and you force them to become a doctor, they likely won’t be happy and won’t thrive as much as they would becoming an illustrator. If someone is an introvert, you aren’t going to train away their tendency to speak less. What we can do is lean into our natures. Allow an artist to become the best artist they can be and figure out a way to make a living from it. Help an introvert make the most of their social engagements and help their words last in the minds of those they speak to. We all have our strengths, and we get much further in life pursuing them, rather than trying to eliminate every area of potential weakness.

"You cannot teach a crab to walk straight."

~ Aristophanes