How many times have you heard, “Be true to yourself,” “Everyone is perfect the way they are,” “It’s okay, I was born this way.” I have a contention with that mentality.  It’s true: everyone has a unique set of skills which makes them special. Each person contributes to their world in a way in which only they can do. However, each person is born with flaws.

I am not advocating a boycott against flaws, and I’m hoping people don’t take this the wrong way; however, each of us has something about us that is self-serving. Whether we are proud, manipulative, overly competitive, impatient, uncharitable, etc., we all have a flaw. And this is why I say, “Deny yourself.” This doesn’t mean be a different person, but it does mean recognizing instances where you are falling into bad habits and stopping yourself.

I can at times have a “superiority complex,” and I am not openly friendly to people. I found myself doing this at the conference I was attending. I represent a successful organization, and it’s easy for me to think we do things the best; and if we don’t, I already know what’s broken and how we need to fix it. I have a difficult time sitting with an open mind. As I found myself falling into this again, I realized I needed to change my body language and change my attitude – change my natural reaction.

Each person is unique; however, that doesn’t give us license to act however we please. We should embrace our strong qualities and remember to deny our flaws.