7 Weaknesses We Must Correct In Oredr To Maintain Lasting Success

Strength and weakness generally refers to a person's character. Often a strength can be a weakness and vice versa, a weakness can be a strength. It's wise we have a proper understanding of some of our inherent weaknesses, but if we remain ignorant of them, they will only come back to hurt us.

These 7 weaknesses are listed and discussed below..

1. Intolerance
2. Deceitfulness
3. Jealousy/Envy
4. Pride
5. Revenge
6. Greed
7. Habit of spending more than we earn 

INTOLERANCE

This is the unwillingness or refusal to tolerate or respect opinions or beliefs contrary to one's own. It can even be the refusal to respect persons of different social group.

One of the greatest problems of life is that of learning the art of harmonious negotiation with others. We must note that success is largely a matter of adjusting one's self to a constant varying and changing environment in a spirit of harmony. Although we know that success in this world is always a matter of individual effort but we will only be deceiving ourselves if we believe we can succeed without the co-operation of others.

DECEITFULNESS

This is the art of deliberating misleading people or being deceptive. God is strictly against deceitfulness. The Bible in Psalm 101 verse 7 says "He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house". From this verse of scripture it can be seen a deceitful Person cannot carry the presence of God which is a primary prerequisite for success. 

No wealth or position can long endure unless built upon trust and justice.

JEALOUSY/ENVY

Jealousy in itself is not bad because even the Bible says God (our creator) is a jealous God. The type of jealousy we are talking about here has to do with a sense of being envious. It's a complex emotion that encompass many different kind of feelings ranging from fear of abandonment to rage and humiliation. It can be a problem among individuals competing for attention. In most cases it does more harm than good, creating conflicts and strife in relationships.

  PRIDE

Pride refers to an inflated self of one's personal status or accomplishments. Philosophers and social psychologists have noted that pride is a complex secondary emotion which requires the development of a sense of self and the mastery of relevant conceptual distinctions through language based interactions with others. According to Meher Baba, pride is the specific feeling through which egoism manifests.

Through out the scripture we are told about the consequences of pride. A proud man will have God Almighty to contend with. The Bible says in James 4:6 "But he (God) giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."

The pathway to success is humility. James 4:10 says " Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you up." One of the consequences of pride can be seen in proverbs 11:2 "when pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

REVENGE

Revenge is the action of hurting or harming someone in return for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands. It's a primitive, destructive and violent response to anger, injury or humiliation. It's a misguided attempt to transform shame into pride.

Most people usually think revenge is the best way of retaliating someone who has done us wrong. The struggle with revenge is centuries old. Shakespeare said, "If you prick us do we not breed? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us do we not revenge?" He obviously thought   revenge was as normal as predicting the rising of the sun. Before we undertake any task, it's better we think of the consequences. Revenge is self destructive.

Confucus said "Before you embark on a journey of revenge dig two graves." Gandhi also made a quote about revenge when he said "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." Researchers and theorists believe that revenge is a form of establishing justice and that the threat of revenge may serve as a form of protection, a kind of enforcement of social cooperation. 

What The Bible Says About Revenge

Romans 12: 17 & 19 (kjv) "Recompense to no man evil for evil. Providing things honest in the sight of all men." And verse 19  says "Dearly beloved , avenge not yourselves but rather give place unto wrath: For it is written vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord."

Proverbs 20:22 "say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD and he shall save thee."

Leveticus 19:18

Thou shall not avenge, not bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.

GREED

Greed is one of the seven basic character flaws or "dark" personality traits. Everyone has the potential for greedy tendencies but it becomes a dominant trait in people with strong fear of lack. Greed is an excessive desire to acquire or posses more than one's needs, especially with respect to material wealth. Other words for greed are avarice, covetousness and cupidity. Greed or covetousness is widely considered abnormal as it's a violation of divine law. The Bible clearly states this in Exodus 20:17 "Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's  wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's."

The habit of greed is driven by a fundamental sense of deprivation, a need for something that is lacking or unavailable. It has caused more damage to relationships of families and friends.

Habit of Spending More Than We Earn

Nobody can be financially successful if they keep spending more than they earn. it can be very stressful when at the end of the month your bank account is in red. If overspending is such a massive problem then it's time we learn how we can stop spending more than we make. Below are five steps we can take in order to  learn how we can manage our monthly income.

1.  Understand why making a budget is important
2. Carefully calculate your monthly income
3. Find out your total debt
4. Determine your recurring monthly expenses
5. Evaluate the bottom line and plan necessary adjustments to spending.