02/20/2026
Taking accountability over your weaknesses often has two voices:
One of shame and one of ownership.
Shame usually sounds like, “I'm just not good at this," which is followed by a pattern of avoidance while ownership sounds like, “I’ve been avoiding this" and is followed by action.
Both acknowledge the weakness while only one builds anything.
Most people think the issue is ability and in most cases it’s not.
It’s the identity you've built through your words and self-talk.
If someone sees themselves as “the strong one,” conditioning gets avoided.
If they’re “the engine,” heavy strength building loads get ignored.
If they’ve labeled themselves “not flexible,” mobility never becomes serious.
Discomfort threatens how someone sees themselves so the weakness gets protected.
That protection feels safe, but it’s also what keeps someone stuck.
The shift isn’t from weak to strong, it’s from defensive to aware.
It's possible to possess ownership without self-attack and awareness without shame.
This is where real growth begins.
See the difference?
Ownership doesn’t say, “I’m terrible.”
It says, “I’ve purposely neglected this," and that's not weakness. That's maturity.
It’s the move from defensive to aware that matters.
Unaware: “This doesn’t matter.”
Defensive: “It’s just not my thing.”
Aware: “I’ve been avoiding this.”
Owning: “I’m going to address it.”
Integrated: “This is who I am now.”
We are human. We defend the weakness to protect the ego.
.. And the ego seldom has our best interests in mind.
