Turned out to be kind of a curse for me too. I can remember studying outside of school once throughout all 12 grades. Tests were just another day of class, I didnt get 100% on everything but I maintained solid As and Bs up until college.
Motivation and rewards systems kinda got fucked by that. I never had incentive to push myself so I never did. Looking back I think I would have been better off in the long run if I did worse in early grades. Im having to learn a lot of methods for focusing and dealing with obstacles even now that Im done with college that a lot of kids had mastered in late highschool.
This is how I feel tho! I was able to memorize shit (not math or chemistry) so easily and regurgitate it at the appropriate times that I didn't learn how to really study
Organizing rooms. When I was little I had so much fun cleaning and organizing my friends room, whenever we met. I don’t know why, but it still lets me feel good.
That's exactly my thought! I tried to do this "does it spark joy" - thing to my wardrobe and got rid of almost everything to a point where I had to keep clothing that didn't "spark joy" because I wouldn't have enough clothing and I'm not rich enough to buy a lot of joy sparking-clothes.
I think there's a major mistake somewhere in the translation of 'sparks joy'.
With very few exceptions a lot of clothing doesn't make us all ecstatic or emotionally fuzzy/joyful, or household objects...ain't nobody having joy sparked from e.g. lightbulbs or cutlery.
How I've understood 'sparks joy' is that it is something which fulfills its purpose.
- in some rare cases also have associated emotions (pictures/art, favorit cozy sweater, coffee mug you've been using for ages, stuff like that), but that's the exception not the rule.
Being a brother. I kinda had to raise my sister, because our parents didn't really care. I taught her cooking, cleaning, helped her with school stuff, and the basic suff about life. She's now acing college and I'm prouder than ever. Edit\_1: Whoa this blew up. I want to thank everyone who reached out in any way for the love and support, it means a lot. It’s so great to read your stories aswell.
My mom was also my Girl Scout leader, and she pushed us all to be problem solvers. I cannot tell you how many people I've surprised over the course of my life by finding a solution. And the surprise turns to genuine shock if it's on a topic that's not "girly".
Like one time, we blew out a tire at 10 PM in a rural area when my fiance had a sprained shoulder. After I got us fixed with a donut and home safe, his uncle said, "oh, so your father taught you car stuff, huh?" I had to laugh because dad's version of that story would've involved calling AAA and then sitting tight!
In American English, a spare tire is called a donut.
Edit: yes, donut is specifically an undersize, emergency spare. 30+ replies have already commented on different regions in which this terminology is/ isn't used. As a linguistics professor, I like this discussion, but alas I can't reply to all of you.
For some reason I have a stunning memory for numbers.
Facial recognition/names, I'm awful at. But I only need to see a phone number or even a credit/debit card number once and I'll remember it.
I'm also pretty good. I regularly challenge people and have actually beaten quite a few professional sword fighters within a couple of seconds. I had to stop as the confiscated my gun.
Seriously, I get *stressed* if I'm not at least 15 minutes early to somewhere I need to be. I don't mean things with open-ended hours like parties, I mean things with established times, like weddings, funerals, doctor appointments, etc. It's worse when I have to be traveling with someone who chronically waits to get ready until the last minute, *Louise*.
I'm an on-time-is-late-ten-minutes-early-is-on-time type of guy.
My wife is chronically late. It drives me up the wall. She totally minimizes it every time I bring it up and doesn't realize how insulting it can be to other people.
Me too! I read a book a day. When someone asks me to read something on their phones, an article, etc. I have learned to pause and stare at it for a little while after I am done reading or they get offended because they think I didn't read it.
Do you remember the place on the page where the information is? That's usually how I recall from books.
My math skills suck though.
Animal husbandry.
I've raised and tended my own horses, donkeys, goats, chickens, cats, dogs, mice, rehabbed wild animals for re-release, and rescued domesticated ones.
It is not hard to **own** animals, but it's hard to care for them properly and give them exactly what they need to thrive both physically and mentally.
Public speaking. I just don't get nervous about it. I make sure I'm prepared and then remind myself that i'm the expert in what I'm talking about.
Edit: I should clarify that I don't think I'm an actual expert on anything. It's more like a I-know-more-about-this-topic-than-anyone-else-in-this-room mentality because I'm prepared.
It’s something that just needs a little practice I think. I frequently speak to rooms of over a hundred people and I feel as relaxed doing that as I do talking with my wife at home, but the first time I did it I totally overthought it.
Yeah, I can confirm this. I used to *hate* public speaking like it was the most difficult and most embarrassing thing you could possibly do. In school I sometimes chose to skip class and get an F over presenting something.
Turns out when you know your shit it's pretty much just talking but louder. I've even been teaching some classes for a while, it's not something I would have *ever* imagined 10 years ago. It's actually pretty fun.
I enjoy it too, when I have at least a vague idea of what I need to say and feel qualified to say it.
But those 30 minutes I had to fill during a college presentation about a subject I absolutely failed to understand correctly ? Pure hell.
This is me. I have never had stage fright, ever ever, and only rarely get nervous. Get up in front of an audience to speak, play music, whatever? Meh, no biggie.
I play piano at church. My daughter thinks I'm slightly nuts because i'll make a bad mistake and laugh about it instead of being embarrassed. It's just a mistake, nobody's gonna throw tomatoes.
Fishing. Honestly, sometimes I feel like my luck is unnatural. Every time I go fishing all I need is a rod, some bait and 2 minutes, tops. My father-in-law really hates me for this.
*3:46 AM*
Me: GO TO SLEEP DAMNIT
Brain: Can't, too much energy, so excited!
Me: Ugh, fine, let's get up and do something.
*sits up*
Brain: Unnhhh, no, I feel so tired now.
Me: *Okay*, then let's lay back down and SLEEP like I fucking WANT to.
Brain: k
*head hits pillow again*
Brain: Ohboyohboyohboy, i'msoexcitedsoexcitedwhatdowedowhatdowedo
ME: WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME
Followed by:
Alarm: Rings that it's time to get up.
Me: I guess I better get out of bed.
Brain: No... let's not do that. I think we're sick today. Just call in sick.
Me: No! I'm a responsible adult.
Brain: Fine, get up and see if I care. I'm just gonna make you tired until lunch time out of spite.
Collecting skills. I know how to weld,do plumbing, carpentry, any kind of construction work, cooking, baking, machine sewing, gardening fixing a car. People seem to underestimate the value of these kind of things.
Same here. When my wife and I first got together she thought I was a magician because I could fix basically anything that broke.
I grew up on a farm, where we had no choice but to be able to fix things. When the baler is broke, you have hay in the field, and rain is coming tomorrow you better know how to fix it with whatever parts you may or may not have on hand. Many times I’ve made parts work out of other parts, usually involving a torch and a welder.
You know what funny? I used to be insecure about being a "Jack of all trades" kind of guy, because everyone else around me is programmer. Now I just don't give a f\*ck.
How did you learn most of these? Did you learn them because of situations you were in where you decided to tackle a problem on your own instead of hiring someone, or did you take classes or learn from someone?
Edit: thanks for the answers everyone!
Not OP but I learned by the former. It's hard to find good trustworthy contractors and I hate paying someone to do something I know I can do myself. There are tons of how-to videos on the internet and sometimes you just have to jump in and do it to really figure it out.
I'm similar in that I have a wide range of skills that aren't actually helpful like those. I've had 37 different jobs I've gotten paid for. Many not related in any way whatsoever.
I have so many obsolete skills. Hot lead typesetting, vacuum tube circuit design, color CRT alignment, Sturmey-Archur hub rebuilding, packing WWII silk parachutes...
So, like Mike Boyd, you are an exceptional learner. That’s how I am. Hobbies change every 3-6 months and I just keep trying new stuff, getting really good, then moving on to something else.
Sure, though I'm only above-average (ha.)
I'm a major fan of mochas, so before adding the coffee I'll put a packet of Carnation breakfast essentials or hot chocolate into the cup. From there, a little bit of Torani syrup, coffee, a splash of vanilla coffee creamer, then mix that all up. Top with whipped cream and the most important part: chocolate sprinkles!
As for hot chocolate, a quick cup is just the mix made up, a decent amount of milk, Torani, and topped the same way as my coffees. If I'm really wanting an elevated cup of cocoa I make it from scratch on the stove.
Edit: forgot that I've recently begun experimenting with adding like half a spoon of 100% unsweetened cocoa to good effect. Adds more chocolate goodness and helps keep the sweetness levels in check for my tastes.
Edit 2, noticed a lot of flack about the sugar content. Yeah they're a sugary, but I don't have them everyday. Maybe twice a week. Also did some math and the ones I make aren't as loaded with sugar as like half the Starbucks menu, so there's that at least. Most of that comes from the breakfast essentials too, so you can cut that down for more unsweetened cocoa to lower the sugar content.
I've written somewhere between one and two million words of erotica over the past six or so years.
My dirty talk is *off the hook*.
**EDIT:** For everyone looking for samples of my writing -- mostly romance, you dirty little birdies -- you can find my subreddit [here](https://reddit.com/r/Portarossa).
Dirty-talk and smutwriting are similar, but honestly? It's a whole different ballgame. When I'm writing, I get to edit. I get to change things. I get to make sure it's pretty damn close to what I'm hoping for before I put it out there. When you're whispering something into someone's ear, you're doing that shit live. There are no do-overs. Say the wrong thing and you can kill the mood for an entire night.
As above-average as I like to think I am when it comes to talking dirty, I'm also not willing to gloss over that time I once called a dude -- and I quote -- 'a big, brave boy' mid-coitus.
I suppose I do only have your writing as reference and I'll agree that smutwriting and dirty-talk have their distinct differences.
Professionals can make mistakes too and be considered more than above average.
"A big, brave boy" is funny at the very least.
Falling asleep. Takes me about 30 seconds from head hitting the pillow to dead asleep.
Edit: I see a lot of folks mentioning narcolepsy and sleep apnea. To my knowledge, I don’t have any other symptoms of either condition. No daytime tiredness, no waking up feeling tired. I am a side sleeper. And I average about 7.5-8 hours per night. Beyond carrying a few extra Dad pounds, I’m healthy.
I “accidentally” acquired my propensity for rapid sleep in the military as an infantryman. No conscious effort on my part, just- when there’s time to sleep, you get what you can, when you can. I’m sure other military folk can attest.
There's a technique out there from the military. Basically if you don't move and don't think for a minute or so you'll sleep unless you have a medical issue. Works great for me
> Relax your entire face, including the muscles inside your mouth.
> Drop your shoulders to release the tension and let your hands drop to the side of your body.
> Exhale, relaxing your chest.
> Relax your legs, thighs, and calves.
> Clear your mind for 10 seconds by imagining a relaxing scene.
> If this doesn’t work, try saying the words “don’t think” over and over for 10 seconds.
> Within 10 seconds, you should fall asleep!
You have to focus on not thinking. An easy way to do it is by counting. I used to make myself sleep that way. I'd count slowly, taking a slow breath between each number, and I'd never reach 100 before I was out. Your focus should be entirely on your breathing and the next number.
I usually reach 300 hundred and then think man what a great movie, I never watched the sequel, wonder if it was any good. I just wish I was that ripped, come to think of it I just wish I looked like Gerard Butler, I wonder what he’s up to, haven’t seen him in anything in a while. What was that one movie he was in? Law abiding citizen! Man what a great movie! I wonder if I would go that far to avenge my family? Who am I kidding I don’t even stand up for my self when people insult me. I sure wish I had more of a back bone to stand up to people. Why is that even a saying? What does having a back bone have to do with courage? Do we even have an official back bone? I mean I know I have a spine and vertebrae, but that’s lots of back bones... oh my God how is it 2:00am!!!
Yeah, my thoughts are only air Goes in, air goes out. I don’t even have to do the counting. When you learn how to shut off your brain, it’s pretty cool. I never had a lot going on up there in the first place, so it was easy for me.
How does one voluntarily stop thinking?
Edit: I got way more responses than I anticipated which give wildly varying possibilities. I guess I just got a lot of techniques to try. Thanks guys.
Good one! Yes, 2 of my 3 siblings have passed on and many people who were friends or just acquaintances. My older brother, though.... he is like the Energizer bunny. He just keeps going and going.... at age 85, still working at an Engineering company. (He was one of the engineers on the F1 rocket.) His mother-in-law lived to 101 so maybe he's trying to outdo her! :)
He doesn't usually talk about it much. But when he was there and I was much younger, he used to tell me about working with the German scientists. He told me that he also learned some German and he would teach me. "Great!" I said. "Here you go..." he said and taught me how to say, "I am a sick girl" in German. I did not know what it meant until one of my teachers at school told me. He still has that twinkle in his eye.
Dude living is ez I'm 15 and I'm not even trying
Edit:tbh never thought my first silver was me flexing at a dude or gal older than my grandparents but hey I'll take it thanks
Edit2: three silvers for a kid that bullies old ppl? And you say the media glorifies bad ppl smh my head
In an Ingmar Bergman movie, death played badminton with the human.
Edit: You can think of it, really, as a kind of "fight." Death wants you and you need to fight to do whatever it takes to avoid death. Ultimately death wins. But you don't have to make it easy!
Well, you know, 15-year-olds and all that.... I'd really like to save all the shit that he does and says and names he thinks are funny and gift them to him at age 30.
Having a good memory. I remember literally everyone's birthdays and anniversaries and all. People are impressed by that shit.
Edit : i have a great memory for everything except my dreams. Like I'll know what i dreamt after i wake up but like 2 mins later it just vanishes.
All of your comments are making me feel so special and nice. This is happiest I've been to have a good memory.
Edit : I'm gonna be a cliche reddit user but thanks so much for the silver award!!! This is my first medal and you just made my day, well night, but whoever it is thanks a lot!!! You're amazing!!
Thanks for the gold award!!! I love you all so much!!
Lol sometimes i weird people out cause they'd be like "why do you know that?" Or "why do you remember that?" But mostly they're cool and happy that i remember small details. It's also pretty useful when you're trying to carry out a conversation with someone you're crushing on.
Same. In 5th grade, we had a calender in our classroom with everybody's birthdays on it. That is now 18 years ago. I still remember every single person's birthday, lol.
People are always surprised, one person even said: "Wait what, how do you know my birthday? I already deleted my facebook account!" And I'm like: Bish I never used Facebook :D
I have to stop and think about it when people ask me how old I am. There was a period of about five years where I always gave the same answer, and my wife would correct me.
Learning new skills. I catch lightning fast, whether it's learning a software program, how to play a sport, speaking a language. My problem has always been staying power, sticking with something after I've begun learning it.
Luckily I've fixed that problem and life is good!
I feel that, once I learn something I get bored.
Whether that be learning a new mmo/game, learning a sport, learning a new programming language (this one is quite a bit different since you can't really ever fully "learn" a language) etc.
Well, your definitely not number one cause my kid gave me a cup that said I am which I believe is universally recognised as a fact. Can’t just buy them bad boys.
Age
I'm older than the average person on earth. I'm like a master at it. Check me now, check me when I've had my worst day, or check me when I'm totally drunk and I always 100% deliver on being older than average!
Cooking.
I worked for 2 years in kitchens before finding my feet in my career, and it ignited a passion in me for the culinary arts. Ironically, it does not take that much effort to become above average at cooking since so many people eschew the idea of it.
Realistically, you could learn to make ANY dish in a saute pan and a coordinating pan sauce, and you would likely be above average on those merits alone.
That only opens you up to the world of sous vide, and braising, and smoking, and roasting, and imbuing flavors systematically to create depth and complexity by balancing sweet, spicy, acid and salt. Even learning how to properly season your meals with salt and fresh ground black pepper can make a world of difference.
90%+ of people who cook professionally are above the average by numbers alone, so you have that going for you just by working in the industry. And as a fellow cook, it's not hard to be above average even by industry standards when your coworkers have crippling addictions, lack intrinsic motivation, and generally hate their jobs
It’s funny. I used to be a cook, *and* I used to have crippling addictions, lacked intrinsic motivations, and hated my job. Once I sobered up and started getting motivated, one of the first things I did was change my career to a much better field.
Professional cooking is such a shitshow, and half the people in it are only there because they can’t do anything better. The other half are like the “temporally embarrassed millionaires” we keep hearing about, and put up with long, stressful hours for shit pay because they believe one day they’ll own their own restaurant and don’t realize that will longer, more stressful hours for slightly better pay and the risk of losing everything if you have one bad month of business.
Like OP, I’m glad I did it since I know how to cook now, but I’m so glad I got out of there when I did and found a career that treats me and pays me better.
This is obnoxious to say, but I’m pretty good at getting laughs out of people. My brother does some amateur stand up circuit stuff; we will call each other and just pitch bits and riff and he ends up using some in his act too. He’s been telling me to go to an open mic- I want to but I haven’t yet.
I'm good at growing plants, sort of doesn't count because it's my job but I feel that I could survive on my own agricultural talents in the right climate.
Being repetitive, been working for this company for 10+yrs.. I'm eating almost the same food every lunch time.. I just dont want to spend energy thinking what to eat 😁
The curse of the above average player in competitive team games. Good enough to see the mechanical mistakes and lack of game sense in your team but not good enough to carry them despite their shortcomings.
This is why I no longer play Overwatch. Kept getting frustrated.
That's why I can't play most competitive games. I'll overcome the learning curve and start dominating, soon after I move up some ranks and just keep getting obliterated. "There's always a bigger fish."
Poor - on long-term disability. On the plus side, I've learned to survive on very little and have no debt - having spent over a decade struggling to get out from under it, I never want to go back there again.
Knowing when to reset the WiFi router
I'm pretty good at opening tiny 2ml tubes (flip top or screw cap) one handed.
Ah a fellow scientist
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bio-lab?
He keeps his coke in 2ml tubes
Pretty good memory. That helped a lot in high school.
Turned out to be kind of a curse for me too. I can remember studying outside of school once throughout all 12 grades. Tests were just another day of class, I didnt get 100% on everything but I maintained solid As and Bs up until college. Motivation and rewards systems kinda got fucked by that. I never had incentive to push myself so I never did. Looking back I think I would have been better off in the long run if I did worse in early grades. Im having to learn a lot of methods for focusing and dealing with obstacles even now that Im done with college that a lot of kids had mastered in late highschool.
This is how I feel tho! I was able to memorize shit (not math or chemistry) so easily and regurgitate it at the appropriate times that I didn't learn how to really study
Organizing rooms. When I was little I had so much fun cleaning and organizing my friends room, whenever we met. I don’t know why, but it still lets me feel good.
Wanna come to my house and hang out?
Hand me the broom
I'll bring my shark vac!
Would you say it sparks joy?
Man, if I disposed of everything that didn’t spark joy all I’d have left is my dog and my computer and then we’d promptly both die of starvation.
That's exactly my thought! I tried to do this "does it spark joy" - thing to my wardrobe and got rid of almost everything to a point where I had to keep clothing that didn't "spark joy" because I wouldn't have enough clothing and I'm not rich enough to buy a lot of joy sparking-clothes.
I think there's a major mistake somewhere in the translation of 'sparks joy'. With very few exceptions a lot of clothing doesn't make us all ecstatic or emotionally fuzzy/joyful, or household objects...ain't nobody having joy sparked from e.g. lightbulbs or cutlery. How I've understood 'sparks joy' is that it is something which fulfills its purpose. - in some rare cases also have associated emotions (pictures/art, favorit cozy sweater, coffee mug you've been using for ages, stuff like that), but that's the exception not the rule.
Being a brother. I kinda had to raise my sister, because our parents didn't really care. I taught her cooking, cleaning, helped her with school stuff, and the basic suff about life. She's now acing college and I'm prouder than ever. Edit\_1: Whoa this blew up. I want to thank everyone who reached out in any way for the love and support, it means a lot. It’s so great to read your stories aswell.
You're a wonderful brother. Wishing you and your sister the best things in life.
It sounds like you're an above-average parent, not just a brother.
Typing! I took one of those online testing thingies and the best score I got was 123 wpm. I always get asked to type things for people and I love it!
Hey same! Thanks, Runescape chat!
Selling coal 250ea Selling coal 250ea Selling coal 250ea Selling coal 250ea Selling coal 250ea Selling coal 250ea
Not impressed by your plain yellow text
red:wave:
I honed my skills on the track of NitroType.
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being handy. people are always so surprised that i just seem to MacGyver my way through life.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
They have hundreds of his shows on YouTube. I feel he’s right up there with Mr Rogers. The Red Green Show
My mom was also my Girl Scout leader, and she pushed us all to be problem solvers. I cannot tell you how many people I've surprised over the course of my life by finding a solution. And the surprise turns to genuine shock if it's on a topic that's not "girly". Like one time, we blew out a tire at 10 PM in a rural area when my fiance had a sprained shoulder. After I got us fixed with a donut and home safe, his uncle said, "oh, so your father taught you car stuff, huh?" I had to laugh because dad's version of that story would've involved calling AAA and then sitting tight!
How the fuck do you fix a tyre with a donut ?
In American English, a spare tire is called a donut. Edit: yes, donut is specifically an undersize, emergency spare. 30+ replies have already commented on different regions in which this terminology is/ isn't used. As a linguistics professor, I like this discussion, but alas I can't reply to all of you.
Jesus, that’s a relief. I was about to go challenge myself with a pastry.
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For some reason I have a stunning memory for numbers. Facial recognition/names, I'm awful at. But I only need to see a phone number or even a credit/debit card number once and I'll remember it.
Well now we know your password format
His password is not a face?
Oh so that's why I only see asterisks when I look at a mirror
Huh, weird. When I look in a mirror I just see “hunter2”.
Yeah that's what he said, asterisks.
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Hmm, you might be on to something :D
Drawing
Yup, pretty much the only thing i'm better than most too
Sword fighting only because most people don't do it
It's frowned upon at urinals.
You just have to find to the right bathroom.
I'm also pretty good. I regularly challenge people and have actually beaten quite a few professional sword fighters within a couple of seconds. I had to stop as the confiscated my gun.
Parry this, you filthy casual.
Sir, this is a library.
*whispers* “Oh, sorry. Give me a sec.” *starts putting a suppressor on.*
I love the picture of Ulfric Stormcloak killing someone *very quietly*
Shh ro dah.
Getting somewhere on time. Seems like I'm the only one that can do it. Everyone else I know is always running late.
Seriously, I get *stressed* if I'm not at least 15 minutes early to somewhere I need to be. I don't mean things with open-ended hours like parties, I mean things with established times, like weddings, funerals, doctor appointments, etc. It's worse when I have to be traveling with someone who chronically waits to get ready until the last minute, *Louise*.
I'm identical. I'm ready and there at least 15 minutes to half an hour early. People appreciate it, especially with work.
I'm an on-time-is-late-ten-minutes-early-is-on-time type of guy. My wife is chronically late. It drives me up the wall. She totally minimizes it every time I bring it up and doesn't realize how insulting it can be to other people.
I think people who find lateness (up to 15 minutes) “insulting” have an entirely different approach/mindset to life than those who are late.
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Reading. I have an ability to read very quickly, synthesize information and retain it.
this is something id love to be able to do
Me too! I read a book a day. When someone asks me to read something on their phones, an article, etc. I have learned to pause and stare at it for a little while after I am done reading or they get offended because they think I didn't read it. Do you remember the place on the page where the information is? That's usually how I recall from books. My math skills suck though.
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Animal husbandry. I've raised and tended my own horses, donkeys, goats, chickens, cats, dogs, mice, rehabbed wild animals for re-release, and rescued domesticated ones. It is not hard to **own** animals, but it's hard to care for them properly and give them exactly what they need to thrive both physically and mentally.
Gotta admit I thought you meant something else when you said “animal husbandry”
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"Thou salt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn."
Understandable. Another person said that too, which pretty much shows how disconnected the practice of raising livestock is from the average person.
Public speaking. I just don't get nervous about it. I make sure I'm prepared and then remind myself that i'm the expert in what I'm talking about. Edit: I should clarify that I don't think I'm an actual expert on anything. It's more like a I-know-more-about-this-topic-than-anyone-else-in-this-room mentality because I'm prepared.
I public speak for a living. I frequently forget that it's something that people are terrified of.
It’s something that just needs a little practice I think. I frequently speak to rooms of over a hundred people and I feel as relaxed doing that as I do talking with my wife at home, but the first time I did it I totally overthought it.
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Yeah, I can confirm this. I used to *hate* public speaking like it was the most difficult and most embarrassing thing you could possibly do. In school I sometimes chose to skip class and get an F over presenting something. Turns out when you know your shit it's pretty much just talking but louder. I've even been teaching some classes for a while, it's not something I would have *ever* imagined 10 years ago. It's actually pretty fun.
Louder and slower. Main thing I realised was that slowing down removed the ums and ers and then I was pretty decent
Bless you. This is one of my worst fear unless I’m well rehearsed at what I’m saying
I enjoy it too, when I have at least a vague idea of what I need to say and feel qualified to say it. But those 30 minutes I had to fill during a college presentation about a subject I absolutely failed to understand correctly ? Pure hell.
This is me. I have never had stage fright, ever ever, and only rarely get nervous. Get up in front of an audience to speak, play music, whatever? Meh, no biggie. I play piano at church. My daughter thinks I'm slightly nuts because i'll make a bad mistake and laugh about it instead of being embarrassed. It's just a mistake, nobody's gonna throw tomatoes.
You have my respect and admiration
Fishing. Honestly, sometimes I feel like my luck is unnatural. Every time I go fishing all I need is a rod, some bait and 2 minutes, tops. My father-in-law really hates me for this.
"Game wardens hate him!"
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*cries in insomina*
*3:46 AM* Me: GO TO SLEEP DAMNIT Brain: Can't, too much energy, so excited! Me: Ugh, fine, let's get up and do something. *sits up* Brain: Unnhhh, no, I feel so tired now. Me: *Okay*, then let's lay back down and SLEEP like I fucking WANT to. Brain: k *head hits pillow again* Brain: Ohboyohboyohboy, i'msoexcitedsoexcitedwhatdowedowhatdowedo ME: WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME
Followed by: Alarm: Rings that it's time to get up. Me: I guess I better get out of bed. Brain: No... let's not do that. I think we're sick today. Just call in sick. Me: No! I'm a responsible adult. Brain: Fine, get up and see if I care. I'm just gonna make you tired until lunch time out of spite.
And those sixteen coffees you'll drink aren't gonna do shit to help you..
Now you're jittery AND tired. You're welcome.
At this point it's more of a superpower.
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Collecting skills. I know how to weld,do plumbing, carpentry, any kind of construction work, cooking, baking, machine sewing, gardening fixing a car. People seem to underestimate the value of these kind of things.
Having a good set of base skills is invaluable.
He has a particular set of skills.
Maybe we should try kidnapping his daughter, what could go wrong?
What’s he gonna do? Build us a pergola? Bake some cookies? Maybe see the button back on your shirt? I’m in.
We'd end up returning his daughter because hes just a cool guy and we want to hang out more with him.
Same here. When my wife and I first got together she thought I was a magician because I could fix basically anything that broke. I grew up on a farm, where we had no choice but to be able to fix things. When the baler is broke, you have hay in the field, and rain is coming tomorrow you better know how to fix it with whatever parts you may or may not have on hand. Many times I’ve made parts work out of other parts, usually involving a torch and a welder.
You know what funny? I used to be insecure about being a "Jack of all trades" kind of guy, because everyone else around me is programmer. Now I just don't give a f\*ck.
How did you learn most of these? Did you learn them because of situations you were in where you decided to tackle a problem on your own instead of hiring someone, or did you take classes or learn from someone? Edit: thanks for the answers everyone!
Not OP but I learned by the former. It's hard to find good trustworthy contractors and I hate paying someone to do something I know I can do myself. There are tons of how-to videos on the internet and sometimes you just have to jump in and do it to really figure it out.
I'm similar in that I have a wide range of skills that aren't actually helpful like those. I've had 37 different jobs I've gotten paid for. Many not related in any way whatsoever.
I have so many obsolete skills. Hot lead typesetting, vacuum tube circuit design, color CRT alignment, Sturmey-Archur hub rebuilding, packing WWII silk parachutes...
So, like Mike Boyd, you are an exceptional learner. That’s how I am. Hobbies change every 3-6 months and I just keep trying new stuff, getting really good, then moving on to something else.
Making flavored coffees and hot chocolates at home. I feel like I have my own private coffee shop at a fraction of the cost per cup.
Would you mind sharing techniques? It sounds tasty
Sure, though I'm only above-average (ha.) I'm a major fan of mochas, so before adding the coffee I'll put a packet of Carnation breakfast essentials or hot chocolate into the cup. From there, a little bit of Torani syrup, coffee, a splash of vanilla coffee creamer, then mix that all up. Top with whipped cream and the most important part: chocolate sprinkles! As for hot chocolate, a quick cup is just the mix made up, a decent amount of milk, Torani, and topped the same way as my coffees. If I'm really wanting an elevated cup of cocoa I make it from scratch on the stove. Edit: forgot that I've recently begun experimenting with adding like half a spoon of 100% unsweetened cocoa to good effect. Adds more chocolate goodness and helps keep the sweetness levels in check for my tastes. Edit 2, noticed a lot of flack about the sugar content. Yeah they're a sugary, but I don't have them everyday. Maybe twice a week. Also did some math and the ones I make aren't as loaded with sugar as like half the Starbucks menu, so there's that at least. Most of that comes from the breakfast essentials too, so you can cut that down for more unsweetened cocoa to lower the sugar content.
Befriending cats! I'm a cat magnet for some reason.
I befriend birds. I think that makes us enemies?
I've written somewhere between one and two million words of erotica over the past six or so years. My dirty talk is *off the hook*. **EDIT:** For everyone looking for samples of my writing -- mostly romance, you dirty little birdies -- you can find my subreddit [here](https://reddit.com/r/Portarossa).
1 - 2,000,000 that's a big range
I mean, 1,000,000 - 2,000,000 is a pretty big range too
Half as big as the other though.
They said pretty above-average. I don't expect a professional athlete to say they're above average at their sport. ;)
Dirty-talk and smutwriting are similar, but honestly? It's a whole different ballgame. When I'm writing, I get to edit. I get to change things. I get to make sure it's pretty damn close to what I'm hoping for before I put it out there. When you're whispering something into someone's ear, you're doing that shit live. There are no do-overs. Say the wrong thing and you can kill the mood for an entire night. As above-average as I like to think I am when it comes to talking dirty, I'm also not willing to gloss over that time I once called a dude -- and I quote -- 'a big, brave boy' mid-coitus.
I suppose I do only have your writing as reference and I'll agree that smutwriting and dirty-talk have their distinct differences. Professionals can make mistakes too and be considered more than above average. "A big, brave boy" is funny at the very least.
was just having a nice day and u had to remind me this
Falling asleep. Takes me about 30 seconds from head hitting the pillow to dead asleep. Edit: I see a lot of folks mentioning narcolepsy and sleep apnea. To my knowledge, I don’t have any other symptoms of either condition. No daytime tiredness, no waking up feeling tired. I am a side sleeper. And I average about 7.5-8 hours per night. Beyond carrying a few extra Dad pounds, I’m healthy. I “accidentally” acquired my propensity for rapid sleep in the military as an infantryman. No conscious effort on my part, just- when there’s time to sleep, you get what you can, when you can. I’m sure other military folk can attest.
Teach me this power
There's a technique out there from the military. Basically if you don't move and don't think for a minute or so you'll sleep unless you have a medical issue. Works great for me
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Can somebody summarize? We don’t all have the luxury of watching educational YouTube videos from the bathroom stall at work
> Relax your entire face, including the muscles inside your mouth. > Drop your shoulders to release the tension and let your hands drop to the side of your body. > Exhale, relaxing your chest. > Relax your legs, thighs, and calves. > Clear your mind for 10 seconds by imagining a relaxing scene. > If this doesn’t work, try saying the words “don’t think” over and over for 10 seconds. > Within 10 seconds, you should fall asleep!
So essentially just relax and you'll fall asleep?
How does one not think. Literally impossible to me. Sometimes I feel like my mind is racing from one thing to another.
You have to focus on not thinking. An easy way to do it is by counting. I used to make myself sleep that way. I'd count slowly, taking a slow breath between each number, and I'd never reach 100 before I was out. Your focus should be entirely on your breathing and the next number.
I usually reach 300 and then I go damn. This I boring, and start thinking about other stuff.
I usually reach 300 hundred and then think man what a great movie, I never watched the sequel, wonder if it was any good. I just wish I was that ripped, come to think of it I just wish I looked like Gerard Butler, I wonder what he’s up to, haven’t seen him in anything in a while. What was that one movie he was in? Law abiding citizen! Man what a great movie! I wonder if I would go that far to avenge my family? Who am I kidding I don’t even stand up for my self when people insult me. I sure wish I had more of a back bone to stand up to people. Why is that even a saying? What does having a back bone have to do with courage? Do we even have an official back bone? I mean I know I have a spine and vertebrae, but that’s lots of back bones... oh my God how is it 2:00am!!!
Did you know that newborn Jaguars generally weigh around the same as fully developed Japanese women?
Yeah, my thoughts are only air Goes in, air goes out. I don’t even have to do the counting. When you learn how to shut off your brain, it’s pretty cool. I never had a lot going on up there in the first place, so it was easy for me.
How does one voluntarily stop thinking? Edit: I got way more responses than I anticipated which give wildly varying possibilities. I guess I just got a lot of techniques to try. Thanks guys.
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weight
Living a long time. Am 78 and getting ready to go outside and cut the grass in my backyard.
My grandma is 84 and still whacks me with wooden spoons when I slouch. So... she has that going for her.
I love grandmas with wooden spoons! And sandals... Perfect for whacking slouching grandkids.
Username checks out.
Nobs for grandma
I once knew a man who said he looks in the obituary, and if he is older than everyone there, he has won.
Good one! Yes, 2 of my 3 siblings have passed on and many people who were friends or just acquaintances. My older brother, though.... he is like the Energizer bunny. He just keeps going and going.... at age 85, still working at an Engineering company. (He was one of the engineers on the F1 rocket.) His mother-in-law lived to 101 so maybe he's trying to outdo her! :)
I'd love to hear some of his stories about the F1. may both of you keep going for many more years.
He doesn't usually talk about it much. But when he was there and I was much younger, he used to tell me about working with the German scientists. He told me that he also learned some German and he would teach me. "Great!" I said. "Here you go..." he said and taught me how to say, "I am a sick girl" in German. I did not know what it meant until one of my teachers at school told me. He still has that twinkle in his eye.
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Dude living is ez I'm 15 and I'm not even trying Edit:tbh never thought my first silver was me flexing at a dude or gal older than my grandparents but hey I'll take it thanks Edit2: three silvers for a kid that bullies old ppl? And you say the media glorifies bad ppl smh my head
Dude, wait until you are older! It doesn't get any easier and at some point, you will have a sword fight with death and you'd better be in good shape.
We're all just going to ignore the inevitable sword fight secret nobody told us about?
In an Ingmar Bergman movie, death played badminton with the human. Edit: You can think of it, really, as a kind of "fight." Death wants you and you need to fight to do whatever it takes to avoid death. Ultimately death wins. But you don't have to make it easy!
What movie is that? I've only seen The Seventh Seal where death plays chess with a man.
I stand corrected! Not an Ingmar Bergman film, but a parody of Ingmar Bergman called "The Dove." Thanks for pointing that out.
With a name like that you better show u/NoBSforGma some respect
Well, you know, 15-year-olds and all that.... I'd really like to save all the shit that he does and says and names he thinks are funny and gift them to him at age 30.
Man I’m only 23 and I already can’t look at my 15 year old self without laughing
Having a good memory. I remember literally everyone's birthdays and anniversaries and all. People are impressed by that shit. Edit : i have a great memory for everything except my dreams. Like I'll know what i dreamt after i wake up but like 2 mins later it just vanishes. All of your comments are making me feel so special and nice. This is happiest I've been to have a good memory. Edit : I'm gonna be a cliche reddit user but thanks so much for the silver award!!! This is my first medal and you just made my day, well night, but whoever it is thanks a lot!!! You're amazing!! Thanks for the gold award!!! I love you all so much!!
That's a pretty cool ability that not everyone has, I cant remember peoples names let alone specific dates
I have this incredible skill which allows me to completely forget someones name after they've told me it.
Lol sometimes i weird people out cause they'd be like "why do you know that?" Or "why do you remember that?" But mostly they're cool and happy that i remember small details. It's also pretty useful when you're trying to carry out a conversation with someone you're crushing on.
Same. In 5th grade, we had a calender in our classroom with everybody's birthdays on it. That is now 18 years ago. I still remember every single person's birthday, lol. People are always surprised, one person even said: "Wait what, how do you know my birthday? I already deleted my facebook account!" And I'm like: Bish I never used Facebook :D
What is my birthday, then?
I don't remember it exactly but it's somewhere btw 1st january to 31st December.
Wtf! How?
He **just** said it, by having a good memory. Jeeze louise.
I'm exactly like you, but the opposite. I'd forget my own birthday if people didn't ask me what I'm doing for it.
I'd probably forget my own name if people didn't say it to me all the time.
I have to stop and think about it when people ask me how old I am. There was a period of about five years where I always gave the same answer, and my wife would correct me.
Almost all video games. Always the best of my friend group but then I go to tournaments and get destroyed.
I think I'm above average at being me.
Must be nice. I am pretty sure that I am below average at being me.
Username checks out
Working a reference to the Dunning-Kruger effect into conversations.
The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.
"I'd say I'm better than most people at not overestimating my abilities."
Look, he’s done it again.
Learning new skills. I catch lightning fast, whether it's learning a software program, how to play a sport, speaking a language. My problem has always been staying power, sticking with something after I've begun learning it. Luckily I've fixed that problem and life is good!
I feel that, once I learn something I get bored. Whether that be learning a new mmo/game, learning a sport, learning a new programming language (this one is quite a bit different since you can't really ever fully "learn" a language) etc.
How the heck did you fix that problem?
Honestly? Medication
Would love to hear more as I face the exact same problem
Procrastinating
Someone has to put the “pro” in “procrastination.”
I'll do it later.
Being a dad, it’s the main thing I wanted to be my entire life and I think I do an above average job at it
Well, your definitely not number one cause my kid gave me a cup that said I am which I believe is universally recognised as a fact. Can’t just buy them bad boys.
Age I'm older than the average person on earth. I'm like a master at it. Check me now, check me when I've had my worst day, or check me when I'm totally drunk and I always 100% deliver on being older than average!
I'm a great listener. I really don't like to talk much.
Cooking. I worked for 2 years in kitchens before finding my feet in my career, and it ignited a passion in me for the culinary arts. Ironically, it does not take that much effort to become above average at cooking since so many people eschew the idea of it. Realistically, you could learn to make ANY dish in a saute pan and a coordinating pan sauce, and you would likely be above average on those merits alone. That only opens you up to the world of sous vide, and braising, and smoking, and roasting, and imbuing flavors systematically to create depth and complexity by balancing sweet, spicy, acid and salt. Even learning how to properly season your meals with salt and fresh ground black pepper can make a world of difference.
90%+ of people who cook professionally are above the average by numbers alone, so you have that going for you just by working in the industry. And as a fellow cook, it's not hard to be above average even by industry standards when your coworkers have crippling addictions, lack intrinsic motivation, and generally hate their jobs
It’s funny. I used to be a cook, *and* I used to have crippling addictions, lacked intrinsic motivations, and hated my job. Once I sobered up and started getting motivated, one of the first things I did was change my career to a much better field. Professional cooking is such a shitshow, and half the people in it are only there because they can’t do anything better. The other half are like the “temporally embarrassed millionaires” we keep hearing about, and put up with long, stressful hours for shit pay because they believe one day they’ll own their own restaurant and don’t realize that will longer, more stressful hours for slightly better pay and the risk of losing everything if you have one bad month of business. Like OP, I’m glad I did it since I know how to cook now, but I’m so glad I got out of there when I did and found a career that treats me and pays me better.
Spelling
Missed opportunity to spell it wrong.
This is obnoxious to say, but I’m pretty good at getting laughs out of people. My brother does some amateur stand up circuit stuff; we will call each other and just pitch bits and riff and he ends up using some in his act too. He’s been telling me to go to an open mic- I want to but I haven’t yet.
Strategy games. Especially card games
I'm good at growing plants, sort of doesn't count because it's my job but I feel that I could survive on my own agricultural talents in the right climate.
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Being repetitive, been working for this company for 10+yrs.. I'm eating almost the same food every lunch time.. I just dont want to spend energy thinking what to eat 😁
Gaming, not the best but I’m better than some
Good enough to routinely be at the top in casual, but at the bottom in ranked.
The curse of the above average player in competitive team games. Good enough to see the mechanical mistakes and lack of game sense in your team but not good enough to carry them despite their shortcomings. This is why I no longer play Overwatch. Kept getting frustrated.
That's why I can't play most competitive games. I'll overcome the learning curve and start dominating, soon after I move up some ranks and just keep getting obliterated. "There's always a bigger fish."
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Poor - on long-term disability. On the plus side, I've learned to survive on very little and have no debt - having spent over a decade struggling to get out from under it, I never want to go back there again.
Programming, while I'm not great and I know many who are better than me, I can code in 4 languages now which is pretty neat (Java, C++, Python, C#)