Knowing Your Limits is a Part of Self-Efficacy

Do I want to finish strong in these courses? Do I believe I can? How much of my capabilities say I can? How much percentage does myself tell me I cannot? “Our belief in our own ability to succeed plays a role in how we think, how we act, and how we feel about our place in the world.” (Cherry, 2019) This belief defines self-efficacy.

People would always say, “Know your strengths.” Yes, this is good because through our strengths, we will be able to determine our goals and future. However, I want to focus on limitations today. Why knowing your limitations is important? Let me count the ways.

Knowing your limitations gives you SMART goals (Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Time-based.) Sometimes, people have the tendency to have ambitious goals—wanting to accomplish so many things. But when you know your limitations, you know which goals to prioritize and which ones are attainable at a certain time.

Knowing your limitations helps you focus on your strengths. Acknowledging what you cannot do re-directs your energy to the things you know you can do. This re-directed and re-focused energy enables you to explore more about yourself and to discover more of your potential.

Knowing your limitations allows you to teach yourself of new skill sets. Since you know your weaknesses, you can now develop these areas until you achieve progress little by little. Once a weakness is developed, it will become your additional strength.

Knowing your limitations opens your eyes to the main source of your strength. At times, you do things even though you have not really trained to do such. For example, you can teach children even though you have not previously taken teaching courses. In this case, you know that Someone inside of you is helping you to extend beyond what you think you can do.

With these in mind about my own limitations and strengths, I now know how to navigate personal mood swings, how to control my emotions, how to pull myself up first thing in the morning to read my modules, and when to take some rest. With this knowledge about myself, yes, I want to finish strong in these courses. I believe I can. My capabilities say I can. And, although 30% of myself says I cannot, I know where I get my strength—and, He is a limitless One.

Cherry, K. (2019). Self Efficacy and Why Believing in Yourself Matters. Retrieved 5 March 2020 from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-efficacy-2795954