What's Your Life's Specialty?
I got the idea from this thread from my talk about Ping Pong in the Yahoo! Pool thread.
I'm wondering: What two or three things are you REALLY good at in life? It could be anything from cooking to painting, curling to skiing, writing to 3-D animation. In other words, if you died today and your friends were talking about you, what would make them go, "Man, he/she WAS really good at that."? Be honest, and don't feel bad about tooting your own horn. Surely there's at least one thing about you that people compliment you on all the time. What is it/are they?
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Mine are Ping Pong, conversation, and audio/video production abilities, not really in that order.
Ping Pong: I've just gotten better and better over the last few years. We have a table in my student center, so we play a lot. I'm no Olympic contender, but I could hold my own against most "normal" people.
Conversation: I'm really good at talking with people, especially when they're going through rough times. I'd like to think that I've developed a communication style that makes it easy for people to share things with me, and then get good feedback in return. My friend Erica has said that she enjoys spending time with me, because she never feels like we have to DO anything. We can just hang out and yak at each other, and we're cool with that.
Audio/Video Production Abilities: For years now I've been doing some sort of a/v work with my church, school, job, etc. It may be running a sound system, editing a video, etc., but I've gotten quite a "reputation" for my abilities in those areas. People always like to ask me to do stuff in those areas, because they know I'll do a good job.
I'm wondering: What two or three things are you REALLY good at in life? It could be anything from cooking to painting, curling to skiing, writing to 3-D animation. In other words, if you died today and your friends were talking about you, what would make them go, "Man, he/she WAS really good at that."? Be honest, and don't feel bad about tooting your own horn. Surely there's at least one thing about you that people compliment you on all the time. What is it/are they?
--
Mine are Ping Pong, conversation, and audio/video production abilities, not really in that order.
Ping Pong: I've just gotten better and better over the last few years. We have a table in my student center, so we play a lot. I'm no Olympic contender, but I could hold my own against most "normal" people.
Conversation: I'm really good at talking with people, especially when they're going through rough times. I'd like to think that I've developed a communication style that makes it easy for people to share things with me, and then get good feedback in return. My friend Erica has said that she enjoys spending time with me, because she never feels like we have to DO anything. We can just hang out and yak at each other, and we're cool with that.
Audio/Video Production Abilities: For years now I've been doing some sort of a/v work with my church, school, job, etc. It may be running a sound system, editing a video, etc., but I've gotten quite a "reputation" for my abilities in those areas. People always like to ask me to do stuff in those areas, because they know I'll do a good job.
Comments
It sounds like something out of a college movie, but it's the truth, though it's obviously not as out-of-proportion as it is in Hollywood.
[ 03-31-2002: Message edited by: G4Dude ]</p>
But as I said, I AM excellent at self-promotion. That's one thing that I'm especially good at, though it's not a particular skill: more like a well-calibrated co-operation among many skills, and a lot of thinking different(ly). Being eccentric is THE way to become known. The trick is making your eccentricies seem cool.
By the way, G4 Dude, I wasn't very well known at high school at all, aside from the fact that everyone knew each other since the my class was 71 strong. I was just the guy with the high Physics grade who was the editor of the newspaper, but my high school was based on a jock-ocracy, and I didn't play football or lacrosse. College can be much different than high school.
<strong>A lot of Renassaince men here. Not surprising: most of the people I know who are like me are Apple fans.
But as I said, I AM excellent at self-promotion. That's one thing that I'm especially good at, though it's not a particular skill: more like a well-calibrated co-operation among many skills, and a lot of thinking different(ly). Being eccentric is THE way to become known. The trick is making your eccentricies seem cool.
By the way, G4 Dude, I wasn't very well known at high school at all, aside from the fact that everyone knew each other since the my class was 71 strong. I was just the guy with the high Physics grade who was the editor of the newspaper, but my high school was based on a jock-ocracy, and I didn't play football or lacrosse. College can be much different than high school.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well, my class is 59 strong so beat that!
Seeing things for what they are instead of what we have come to accept them as being. Which leads into...
Art. These days, like the last four years, all on computers. I make nifty stuff, I think. I'd post some pics, but, well, I'm lazy. Stereoscopic virtual sculptures crafted from data, mostly genetic data, though these days I use media (TV commercials, etc) to build with. Both of these lead into...
Conversation. I'm an intellectual, and so are most of my friends. I love chatting with pals over beers, ranting, raving, cracking jokes. In fact, I really can't stand shallow, 2 dimensional frat boys or hootchie girls. I hate Britany Spears.
Those three things (and their immediate extensions like computers, etc) are what I'm good at. Everything else falls by the wayside.Occasionally hygeine, diet, grades, etc.
When I finish (art) school I hope I land a decent job that excercises at LEAST one of those things, preferably two or three.
I think the other thing would be ambition. I've pushed for more in my life so far than a lot of people ever get to do: Next stop, United States Marine Corps. I'll be comissioned as a Second Lieutenant officer in about a year and a half when I finish my degree
I think the better question to ask would be...
What have you given back to the world?
The way we really make our life worthwhile is by giving back; contributing. I can't remember if I read it in a book, or saw it in a movie... but there was this scene with a father and his son. They're in his study, and the father asks his son, "What have you given back to the world?", to which his son replies, "I don't know, what have you given back?". His father then answers, "Well, I had one of my poems published once...".
I'm probably remembering it a lot different than how I initially read it, and therefore overdramatizing, but it really made me think. So every year or so I ask myself what I've given back, and try and come up with an answer. I'd like to say that my photographs have meant something to the people that look at them. That they can convey some sort of emotion into the viewer, and that it inspires them, or makes them cry; affects them. That's what I've given back so far
Anyhow, sort of tangential, but I felt it applicable...
I won't list my skills and abilities here, because I don't wish to make others feel pathetic and inconsequential in comparison to me, the Great One. A light shines forth from me - an aura of quality, intelligence, wisdom, skill, knowledge, and truth. In short, I rule! (raises fist in air)
I'm the greatest. I'm truly awesome. My intellectual, athletic, and sexual prowess...<hr></blockquote>
Weelll, I can see that those post-dissertation self-esteem classes are going great...
<strong>I'm the greatest. I'm truly awesome. My intellectual, athletic, and sexual prowess are only guessed at by those who know me. I try to hide my myriad of talents from my acquaintances, partially out of genuine modesty, and partially because otherwise people would be too overwhelmed by my mere presence.
I won't list my skills and abilities here, because I don't wish to make others feel pathetic and inconsequential in comparison to me, the Great One. A light shines forth from me - an aura of quality, intelligence, wisdom, skill, knowledge, and truth. In short, I rule! (raises fist in air)</strong><hr></blockquote>
Ah, how I missed the wonderful Democrat's creed: "Hate yourself, you are foolish, only a group of us can be right."
The truth is that there are some things not worth being humble about. If you ask me what I do well, I will tell you.
Where most people may be good at one thing, and everything else -- no matter how hard they try -- they aren't so great at; I usually excel at whatever I really try hard at. The only exception to this would be most athletics. I'm good at games where a ball must be hit with a racket or paddle, but everything else really falters.
Now do I try hard at everything I do? Of course not.
<strong>I'm the greatest. I'm truly awesome. My intellectual, athletic, and sexual prowess are only guessed at by those who know me. I try to hide my myriad of talents from my acquaintances, partially out of genuine modesty, and partially because otherwise people would be too overwhelmed by my mere presence.
I won't list my skills and abilities here, because I don't wish to make others feel pathetic and inconsequential in comparison to me, the Great One. A light shines forth from me - an aura of quality, intelligence, wisdom, skill, knowledge, and truth. In short, I rule! (raises fist in air)</strong><hr></blockquote>
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
My other gift is to be able to communicate with people and to build social relationships. I have worked from high up in our largest telecom company with the bosses to shelters for drug addicts, mentally ill, prostitutes and homeless people and always been able to build relationships as equals with everybody. I always insist on talking to a person as ... a person first and foremost. Not as a schitzofrenic, CEO, customer, professor or co student.