Each of us through education, experience or natural aptitude has useful skills and knowledge in certain areas. Some of us are gifted in arts such as music while others are great in chemistry. Our circle of competence is comprised of the areas in which we are good at both at a personal and social level. Knowing whether your abilities are in a particular field and how you can fully exploit these abilities is a key factor in achieving personal development and success.
Spending time and energy pursuing things that you are not good at can cause frustration, poor self-confidence and lack of motivation. In the same way that success breeds success, constant failure can lead to a lack of motivation and drive leading to more failure. When you find that your pursuits are consistently ending up in failure it might be time to evaluate your circle of competence in relation to your pursuits.
Self-awareness is the crucial key in identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Being aware of what you are good at, where you need to improve and what motivates you are the key ingredients required for personal development. Developing goals and objectives that play to your strengths gives you the opportunity to make the most use of your skills and natural abilities. Identifying your circle of competence will enhance your sense of purpose and give you a clear direction on what to focus on and pursue.
