The Ordinary Was My Strength

Whenever I write a note, my hands always stop.

That is what I end up thinking.

I have no talent. I have no special skills.

I don't know what I should be sharing.

Everyone around me seems so amazing.

When I look at social media, it's full of amazing people.

People who quit their jobs in a few months thanks to their notes.

People who increase their followers by thousands in the blink of an eye.

People who keep writing viral articles.

Everyone seems to have something special.

Compared to them, what am I?

I'm not particularly good at memorizing things.

I don't have perfect pitch.

I've never taken first place in sports.

I can do anything at an average level.

I can handle things without trouble, but I have nothing that stands out.

Moreover, I am currently on welfare, and from society's perspective, I am in a vulnerable position.

What could someone like me possibly talk about?

When I think that, my hands stop.

I thought my strengths would be found naturally

That's what I thought.

I believed a day would come when, through some trigger, I would suddenly realize, "This is it!"

I believed that.

But that day never came.

Just waiting around won't lead to finding anything.

Instead, the anxiety that "I have nothing" only grows larger.

Every time I look at social media, I end up comparing myself to others.

The moment of realization

One day, it suddenly occurred to me.

I have been posting on note every day for 300 days.

I have been writing a diary for over 5000 days.

I also realized I had been playing Monster Strike every day for over three years.

Three years.

I wasn't particularly conscious of it.

But it continued.

"But, anyone can do this, right?"

That's what I thought at first.

Consistency is plain, and it can't be called a talent.

Compared to people who quit their jobs in a few months, I haven't achieved anything.

It's just a game.

My followers didn't explode in number either.

But when I thought about it, that wasn't the case.

Looking around, everyone just gives up after three days.

Few people can even keep going for a month.

Almost no one makes it to 300 days, 5,000 days, or 1,095 days.

People who can quit their jobs in a few months are certainly amazing.

But that is only a very small group of people.

For most people, even just continuing is difficult.

What is natural for me is not natural for others.

This was the first step in finding my strengths.

Strengths are not something you 'find,' but something you 'realize.'

I used to think that strengths were special talents.

That's why I felt like I had nothing.

But that's wrong.

Strengths are already within you.

You just haven't realized it yet.

Things you can do that others cannot.

Things you can continue doing that others cannot.

That is your strength.

It doesn't have to be flashy.

It doesn't have to produce immediate results.

Even if you don't have talent, if you keep going, you will get results.

And the very fact that you can keep going becomes a strength.

There is no need to compare yourself to the "amazing people" you see on social media.

You have your own strengths.

To realize your strengths

To find your strengths, you need to change your perspective.

Try questioning the things you do "naturally."

From someone else's point of view, those things might not be natural at all.

Look back at the things you have been able to continue.

Things you have been able to continue are proof that they suit you.

Recall the things others have told you were "amazing."

Others see the strengths you don't notice yourself.

Finally

Strengths are not something you search for.

They are just things you already have that you need to notice.

Even you, who think you have nothing, have strengths.

There is something I want you to try today.

Try writing down three things you have been doing for over three months.

That is your strength.