Wallpapering.
Give me a paintbrush and I'll slap it on and think 'that'll do'.
Wallpapering - I am careful, take my time and won't settle for anything but perfect.
I think I actually 'like' doing it.
[i]crap at multi-tasking (allegedly). [/i]
Everyone is crap at multi-tasking.
You can do lots of things badly at once, or one thing really well. The true skill is being able to do that one thing really well without anything else affecting you. That's craftsmanship.
Multi-tasking is massively overrated.
Samuri, have you actually been eavesdropping on conversation me and the missus have? That is pretty much word for word my response to the standard refrain of the female masses...
Mrs D often tells me I'm great at disparaging
Absolutely nothing going by the amount of ear ache I get from the wife.....
Oh I suppose there is something I'm good at.....
......winding the wife up!!
In seriousness, fixing things and problem solving....which is what I do for a job, so that's nice...
Riding my bike, not bad at that....I'm ****ing great at having some big pile ups...I have medical records and scars to prove it!!
Being a Dad....my kids don't know how lucky they are.... 😉
arson
e-mail in profile
Learning new stuff and being able to explain it to others. I have to do it in my job a lot as we work with new and emerging technology that can be used in lots of different business areas. I have to explain the technology to the business people, and the business areas to the technical people.
Apart from that, I'm very good at being competent at most things.
Shooting. I'm good at putting little bits of copper jacketed lead on targets* at short and long distances.
I can cook as well, but I would not really put myself into the "good" category.
Most things are relative aren't they? Sounds like Peterfile was well above average at snowboarding, just not international level. Surely that still qualifies as good though?
I have climbed E5, but as a lot of people I know climb much better than that I didn't consider myself good. I guess by UKC standards I was above average though.
There has never been anything that I gave been the best at out of everybody I know.
[i]Samuri, have you actually been eavesdropping on conversation me and the missus have? That is pretty much word for word my response to the standard refrain of the female masses... [/i]
I think as men, we're brought up hearing 'men can't multitask' constantly. We hear it and it's embedded that multi-tasking is a good thing so we never question the sense behind it. Of course we can multi-task just like everyone can but inherently men don't *like* multi-tasking. They're generally single-objective orientated which does naturally produce better craftsmen who are now-focussed.
I've been banned from saying any of this near my mum who got really, really angry when I suggested that multi-tasking isn't a particularly good thing. 😉
Spotting late-exploding bombs.
I excel at underachievement.
Taking pictures of things to make them look nice and having people pay me for doing that.
Polishing shoes
Reading maps
Finding good restaurants
I know I'm actually good a few things....
- Dog Training
- Simplifying complex problems
- Dealing with difficult people and situations in a calm manner
- Getting people to do what I want
I'm also very good at:
- Technical writing
- Presentations
However, I'm also aware of my weaknesses. I've learnt to play to my strengths, enhancing these where I can, and doing a bit of damage limitation on what I'm bad at - rather than trying hard to get better at something I don't like doing.
Jack sh1t, but I'm good at not worrying about it.
Eating chocolate, biscuits, cake...
- Simplifying complex problems
That's rather subjective. What if some people already find your "complex" problem "simple"?
🙂
mtb is about the only thing I've ever been remotely good at and that's only good for a complete amateur enthusiast, just riding around type of rider, (ie anyone who specialises in one of the disciplines will kick my arse)
I guess I'm quite good at devoting a ridiculous amount of time to computer games too - not technically very good at most games but I have the willpower to run around powering up for a mind numbing amount of time until I can kick Mr Big's arse.
<edit> rereading that I should maybe add "good at having confidence issues" 🙂
Unicycling. On the basis I'm better than 99.9% of the population and almost certainly the best at that on this thread. Of course I've met plenty of people better than me (including some aged <12), but in a general population sense they're a complete rarity.
That's rather subjective. What if some people already find your "complex" problem "simple"?
Aren't you making rickon's simple statement more complex than it needs to be?
Merely pointing out that it assumes that the problems need simplifying 😉
That's rather subjective. What if some people already find your "complex" problem "simple"?
Some people do - they're subject matter experts. However, being able to communicate this complex subject matter to people who do not know the area well is a real skill.
How many times have you been to a technical / university / research meeting, where the speaker is incredibly intelligent, but you just can't follow what they're talking about?
Either you're not listening, or they haven't keyed their presentation to the audience properly, and just dive into the detail.
The key is to know the area well, but also understand how simple the complexity can be. I find simple analogies, examples, and then building up to more complex examples being a good way to describe things.
I really don't feel like I do much at work, but make things [i]better[/i] for people, and easier for them to do stuff.
Dress making, made my daughters prom dress so she wouldn't get twinned, and yes i'm a geezer with gnarly hands and a serious attitude problem.
I know I'm actually good a few things....- Dog Training
- Simplifying complex problems
- Dealing with difficult people and situations in a calm manner
- Getting people to do what I want
I'm also very good at:
- Technical writing
- Presentations
However, I'm also aware of my weaknesses. I've learnt to play to my strengths, enhancing these where I can, and doing a bit of damage limitation on what I'm bad at - rather than trying hard to get better at something I don't like doing.
Did you just copy and paste that out of your cv personal statement? 😛
I have climbed E5, but as a lot of people I know climb much better than that I didn't consider myself good. I guess by UKC standards I was above average though.
By ukc standards that is almost superhuman 😀
For example, I used to think I was good at snowboarding, even during a season I was in the top quarter or riders. Then I started riding with people who are a different level (two GB riders and a load of people who pay the mortgage riding), and I realised just how average I was.
I think the where you are in the pack thing is interesting and agree that its easy to get the wrong idea of you ability. My great humbling moment as thinking that I was getting good and finding that the queues for the routes had got longer!
In my 20s I'd have said i wasn't much of climber. I saw the top of the tree. My mates were better than me. Their mates were as good as anyone. That didn't bother my I was just out for fun. Now looking back I'd say I was good. That leaves brilliant, excellent and many other adjectives ahead of me. i think your snow boarding was the same, you wee good
I'm good enough at teaching and teaching physics that its not illogical that I do it for a living. But again that's not the same as being the best
Randomly Im good at wrapping presents . I have on idea why as i dont have any patience whatsoever .I just seem to be able to make a box look smart with some paper, selotape and abit of silver tape.
Ok at malt based alcoholic beverage production too , but thats down to being QBE
"Most things are relative aren't they? Sounds like Peterfile was well above average at snowboarding, just not international level. Surely that still qualifies as good though?"
It depends on how high the standard was elsewhere. If the standard was poor in the UK and internationals are doing badly against any number of random Continentals, Americans etc, than being in the top 25% is no big deal surely. You cant really just look at a national level, the Saudi Arabian snowboard champion is likely to be pretty crap in absolute terms. The guy qualifying 90th for a world cup DH might usually be the best rider in the bike park but, he is crap when compared to the top 10. etc, etc.
So, I reckon to be good you need to be in the group above +2 Standard deviations from the global mean for whatever it is you do. Therefore, most people will never find anything they are really good at, above average maybe but that's all.
Excavating complex archaeological sites. I had to knock it on the head when my boss(es) were increasingly unable to understand the sites I was working on and the deposits I was able to decipher.
APF
Speeling.
A few years ago I was climbing v9.... So that was considered alright. However, some of the chaps I used to climb with climbed v12\13. So I was pretty rubbish by those standards 😉
Patience - I've waited 48 years so far to find what I'm good at and if it takes another 48 so be it.
V9 respect
Bullshitting bullshitters to earn their respect as an accomplice bullshitter.
I talked myself in and i'll talk my way out.
Getting injured on a bike...
[quote=ianv said]It depends on how high the standard was elsewhere. If the standard was poor in the UK and internationals are doing badly against any number of random Continentals, Americans etc, than being in the top 25% is no big deal surely. You cant really just look at a national level, the Saudi Arabian snowboard champion is likely to be pretty crap in absolute terms.
Well there is that - I could probably have made the British team for ski orienteering (probably still could), but that certainly doesn't make me good at it!
So, I reckon to be good you need to be in the group above +2 Standard deviations from the global mean for whatever it is you do. Therefore, most people will never find anything they are really good at, above average maybe but that's all.
2 standard deviations above the mean means you'd only be better than 95.5% of the rest of the world. Seems a rather arbitrary figure to pluck out from nowhere!
I mean, there's 7 Billion people in the world now (so we're told), so that means if you're 2 standard deviations above the mean, you're in the top 315 Million at something in the world... 😕
And we've got people on here saying that unless you're in say the top 10 in the world at something that you can't consider yourself good at it! To be in the top 10 in the world would put you 7.44 Standard Deviations above the mean incidentally. To be 6 Standard Deviations above the mean (the level of quality aimed for by the likes of Toyota and Honda in their manufacturing processes) would only put you in the top 24,000 people in the world!
I am lucky enough to say I genuinely know 2 or 3 people that are in the top 10 or so in the world at whatever field it is they are involved with, so obviously they are exceptional in that respect. I can safely say that a 20 minute conversation with any of them, I would then pick up enough information off them to then know more about their subject than 99.99% of the rest of the world... Which would only put me in the top 700,000 in the world in that subject matter, and a "mere" 5.22 Standard Deviations above the mean. So still remarkably crap really!
My point is two fold...
Firstly, we judge ourselves against our peers infinitely more than we judge ourselves absolutely. Judged against my peers, I'm an expert cyclist. Judged absolutely, I'm nowhere!
Secondly, people use and manipulate statistics to lie. To say you're better than 99.9% of the world at something sounds like you're saying you're really good at it. But all you're saying is that you're in the top 7 million in the world! Statistics need to be represented correctly in order to be useful...
Oh, and incidentally, for the record... I'm merely "above average" at statistics... 😉
To be 6 Standard Deviations above the mean (the level of quality aimed for by the likes of Toyota and Honda in their manufacturing processes) would only put you in the top 24,000 people in the world!
You must have mixed this up. here is no way that they can make everything 6 standard deviations better than the mean. How could everything you make be better than 500,000,000 other things. Not even F1 engines are that rare are they
You might mean that 6 standard deviations are within tolerance. There is an informal 3 standard deviation standard in climbing. That mean that the load on the component is the mean failure minus 3 standard deviations. That mean that of every 1000 sold 997 meet the standard 3 would fail
Secondly, people use and manipulate statistics to lie. To say you're better than 99.9% of the world at something sounds like you're saying you're really good at it. But all you're saying is that you're in the top 7 million in the world! Statistics need to be represented correctly in order to be useful...
I just disagree, probably by factor 10 may be factor 100. I wrote a reference for a girl who got the top mark out of 100 students in Physics and the was 10th out of 260 in Maths. I rate both of these better than good. You 1 in a thousand is is really depressing. That would mean that in a primary school of 500 we would only have a 50:50 chance of a good student.
If i was in the top 10% of rock climbers back in the day I'd be happy and feel that was good
Its a perculalry British thread. I mean if good enough to represent your country isn't good then you are avarage? If even the top 0.1% aren't good what are they They aren't average are they. So what words do we use for the people who are better than average but still outside the top 0.01%
Its all subjective but this is my perspective
NB above good we have very good, excellent and exceptional at very least
Cycling on ice! Just back from Reykjavik. Paperhanging, climbing ice and messing about in the kitchen. Quite good and not being colour coded according to the mrs's critical eye.
Good with the ladies....and ironing.
Yes I'm single 8)
Stating the bleeding obvious, apparently.
I seem to be naturally quite good at shooting (won a medal at Bisley once), but don't enjoy shooting anywhere near as much as I do riding (on or off road). Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near as good at riding as I am shooting...............
People tell me I'm good at my job, but I just work harder to make sure I have it all covered.
I can make a nice cup of tea.......
The only thing I think I was ever really good at was motocross. I started at 4 and by the time I was 10 I was winning British schoolboy championships and competing in European championships, but my mum and dad didn't ever see it as being anything other than weekend fun so never pushed me. I guess back then it was hard to see how you could make a living out of it. As a result it slowly fizzled out and I'm basically just a good expert amateur rider. I've always believed that if I had really pursued it I could have been a British championship contender. Too late to ever find out now sadly.
Genuinely nothing. In the unlikely event that someone ever thought I was, I suppose that would make me a good fraud. But they won't!
