So-called SWOT analysis is a strategic tool used to examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in all sorts of ventures. One of its goals is to convert weaknesses and threats into strengths and opportunities. Strengths and weaknesses pertain to the internal characteristics of a business or a team. Opportunities and threats are external factors enhancing or thwarting the performance of a business or a team. How about enlightenment, though? And how about an individual like myself? That is, how can I convert weaknesses into strengths and threats into opportunities?

My strengths are imagination, quickness of mind, perseverance, and boundless love for my beloved. My weaknesses are sensitivity that borders on sentimentality, tendency to get distracted by world affairs, and endless curiosity about everything under the sun. The opportunities I face are freedom from daily toil, sufficient resources to pursue my own affairs, and my beloved’s wholehearted support. The threats I face are external jolts like the sham insult case lodged against me by the mayor of Motovun, insecurity of my resources due to the global economic crisis, and the infirmity of old age.

Removing myself from Motovun to Zagreb for a good part of the year converts most of my weaknesses and threats into strengths and opportunities. Closeness to my beloved is an essential part of the gambit. The insecurity of my resources and the infirmity of old age are beyond my power to change, but these threats are far from debilitating at this stage of my life. For the time being, they seem to be manageable.

So, what does SWOT analysis have to say about my enlightenment? To begin with, I am on top of things. I understand my own self and the environment in which I happen to find myself. Then, the means to pursue my one and only goal are almost entirely in my own hands. Finally, I now have a simple strategic tool to harness whenever in doubt about my progress toward my goal. As well as the very first attempt at listing of all my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. I bet this account will be fun to re-examine over and over again. Until my goal is eventually reached, it goes without saying.