Good morning, today I want to share with you a quick word on deflection. Deflection is defined as a change of direction when confronted with a direct question or issue. Deflection down-plays situations and causes frustration in your relationships and at your job!

Have you ever experienced this, or maybe even you do this… when a person makes a mistake, they just brush it off and say, “My bad!” And while it isn’t making an excuse, it is deflecting full responsibility.

For me there is nothing more frustrating than hearing someone say, “Oh, my bad!” And then they drop the subject, without really even saying “I’m sorry.” That is not taking responsibility, it is down-playing the issue!

Another example of deflection is something I saw on my Facebook page the other day. Someone was referring to their shortcomings as being an opportunity to learn. It seems like a great outlook, right?

But it’s actually a deflection! It’s kind of like saying, “These aren’t my weak points, these are my opportunities.” It’s okay to say you aren’t good at something. Giving your failures or weak points a different label actually downplays what they are. Just call them your weak points or mistakes! When you deflect, you are not accepting responsibility.

Because, in truth, not all of your weaknesses ARE learning opportunities. I suck at writing titles. You don’t want me to write headlines for any emails or anything… ever. Seriously. That isn’t an opportunity for me, my time is better spent elsewhere. I pay someone else to cover that weak spot.

If you were terrible at math and a friend asked you to do something accounting-related would you say, “Oh, what a great learning opportunity.” No! Even if you could do it, it would take you way longer and there might be mistakes. You’d probably say, “You know what, you might want to find someone else.”

While it’s true you learn from your mistakes and what you aren’t good at – you don’t have to downplay the issue. It’s okay to have weaknesses! Don’t try to cover them up, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. But you do need to recognize and accept you MIGHT need outside help to work through it!

I know for some of you, asking for help is easier said than done. You have to do everything and have it all a certain way. But the amount of time, stress and ultimately money (because your time would be better spent on tasks you’re great at) you’d save just by accepting someone else would be better for a task, is invaluable.

It’s alright to have a weakness and to call them what they are! But let’s focus on what you’re truly great at. What are your strengths? Tell me in your comments and Like and Share it with your friends!

I’ll be around this afternoon at 12 pm ET/11 am CT on The Dani Johnson Show so grab a pen, pencil and come ready to take notes. You can find the show on your radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right on our website.

In great faith,

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