Freak Factor

You can find Freak Factor as Changethis.


This manifesto...sweet jesus, this is so true it hurts me. I read through this and man is it good.

The basic point of Freak Factor is that everyone has corresponding weakness and strengths. The man down the road who's organized and calm? He's also stubborn and less emotional. That girl over there who's "boring"? She's a responsible person. Think of your traits like a sliding scale- at one end is one personality quirk, at the other end another. As you have more of one quirk, say realism, you have less of another quirk, like positivity. In the same way, you could say that having more realism leads to more negativity. Each trait has its own counterpart. What you need to do is identify what traits you have, what corresponding weaknesses you have, and how you can amplify your strengths. Don't try to get rid of your weaknesses- it doesn't work. Focus on what you can improve, not what's holding you back.

This manifesto has nine points that enforce this general theme. Here's just three:

POINT ONE: What's Your Weakness?
Identifying your weaknesses is important. You have to know what you're good at and what you aren't good at, otherwise you'll never be able to choose what you should do in any situation. I'll use myself as an example. I am:

Physically weak.
Nonconfrontational.
Shy.
Inflexible.
Negative/Pessimistic.
Lazy (hey, check the time I posted this for evidence!)
And so on.

If I didn't realize my own weaknesses, I might make some pretty stupid descisions. For instance, I might decide to go into sports or debate. I don't like physical activity or arguments, so obviously that would be stupid. Knowing one's weaknesses helps you find your place in the world.

POINT TWO: There's Nothing Wrong With You.
I listed some of my weaknesses above. "Wow," you say, "He sure has a ton of flaws.". Here's the thing: so do you. So does everyone. But every flaw has a corresponding perk. I might be weak, but I'm intelligent. I might be negative, but I'm realistic. I might be lazy, but I'm imaginative. I might be inflexible, but I'm responsible. Like a coin, there are two sides to every aspect of your personality. Let's take a look at a friend of mine who I'll refer to as Dave.
Dave is:
Charismatic
Energetic
Passionate
Strong
Analytical
Creative

"Wow!" you say, "He sure is amazing!". Well, to complete his strengths, he's also...
Emotionally Distant
Obnoxious
Single-minded
Impulsive
Dismissive
Unresponsible

"Wow!" you say, "You're so correct, he has a set of both strengths and weaknesses!"

I knew you'd learn eventually.


POINT THREE: Don't Try To Fix Your Weaknesses.
"Wait!" you interrupt (again), "Why shouldn't we try to improve ourselves?"
Don't get ahead of yourself. This manifesto and blog are NOT about telling you not to improve. This point is about getting the MOST out of your self-improvement.

Here's a rather nerdy example. Let's say I have a party of a fighter, wizard and rogue. The wizard has such low strength compared to my fighter! Surely I should train up his strength instead of focusing on pumping his magical power! Repeat for "fighter" and "speed" and "rogue" and "defense".

See how dumb this philosophy is when you think about it? Everyone has weaknesses that they shouldn't focus on because the effort required to get those up to speed with your strengths could have been used ON those strengths to make them that much stronger! With that example, I could have a wizard with 100 strength and 100 magic power, or I could have a wizard with 150 magic power and 50 strength. Which is more useful for his job? Why would he need high strength? The same could be said for real people. Sure, I could spend five hours in the gym every day and eat salad until my canines commit suicide from misuse, but what's the point? After several years I might be a beefcake, yes, but why didn't I spend that time focusing on gaining intellect or creating something interesting? Focusing on weaknesses just makes you a jackass of all trades, and a master of nothing.



So, this is the end of the blog. The quarter is over, and the class is ending. Thanks to the TAs for interesting assignments and help and to Professor Willaims for being (crazy) awesome and making the class really interesting.