Ever hear that saying, "My mouth gets the best of me"? That is me in a nutshell. I was once asked in a job interview what my greatest strengths and weaknesses were. For each question, I provided the same answer: Passion.
Passion as a strength is a wonderful trait to have. It allows you to experience the ultimate highs, even when faced with the most mundane of tasks. When you have passion, you can make nearly anything enjoyable, and your passionate attitude can become infectious to those around you.
Passion as a weakness is, in many ways, the same thing. It can affect the others around you, but depending on your position in relation to them, it can be terribly influential. Now, sometimes, that is a good thing; there IS strength in numbers. But other times, it can have the opposite effect and can make those in a position above you wary, or angry, or spiteful towards you and those who have taken your lead.
One of the biggest issues I am trying to learn to overcome is my passion and its influence over my mouth. Sometimes I care so much that come hell or high water, I am going to state my peace, and I don't give a damn who agrees or disagrees. And therein lies the problem. I love to argue and debate, and it is that part of me that enters into the mix and throws my passion into a frenzy. It makes me want to shout from the hilltops, "I'm right dammit, and you're too stupid to realize it". Sadly, this isn't always the truth, and while I might not necessarily be right, THEY are not necessarily wrong. Coming to grips with this is a work in progress. Sometimes it takes a kind word to talk me down off the edge of the building before my mouth encourages me to jump---so to speak.
So like the Budweiser ads used to say, I have to know when to say when. When to fight my battles and when to take a back seat and let things play out. Like I said, its a work in progress.
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