After this little ditty on strengths and weaknesses, I thought it might be a good idea to jot down what some of mine are. I’m still undecided about whether or not it’s a good idea to share these with you, but here’t goes anyway…
- Keeping a conversation going: Sometimes I seriously doubt this one. In general, though, compared to the average person (who really doesn’t even exist), I think I might enjoy it more. That gives me a head start. But I’m still learning.
- Abstracting ideas: I think I’m pretty good at spotting random patterns within things and making up abstract conclusions from what I see. Doesn’t mean the conclusions make any sense to anyone else, just that I’m good at making them up.
- Seeing connections between things and ideas: This follows from the previous point, but it’s slightly different. I can see how one thing relates to another, or make up a way they relate, that others might not see. In other words, I tend to be good at ascribing new meanings to things based on their connections to other things, the key word there being “connections.”
- Saving money: I’ve been good at this since I was a kid, too good sometimes.
- Trying new foods: I like food, I like experiences, and I like new. Put that together, and yeah, I’ve got a strength in there somewhere.
- Living spontaneously: I don’t mind making plans last minute. I often enjoy them more that way, so sometimes I even plan to not make plans.
- Extremifying, at least on a small scale: I feel like I’m pretty good at turning something normally, well, normal into something extreme. Eating peanut butter, for example.
- Reading: I don’t know how else to say this. It’s not that I’m particularly good at comprehending what’s on the page or quick at getting through it. It’s just that I read a lot and enjoy it. That has to count for something (it’s my list, after all).
- Sleeping through things: I didn’t realize this until recently. Part of it might just be a result of not getting enough sleep, but in general I can sleep through things that would normally wake people up: cold, hot, sounds, people moving around, and so on.
- Making up unconventional strategies for doing things: This might be as simple as playing a game differently than everyone else. In any case, I tend to be able to come up with these sorts of strategies better than most people.
- Arguing or advancing controversy: A classic devil’s advocate, I love debate just for the sake of debate. I’ll argue for things I know aren’t true just to prod and discover more, or just for the fun of it.
- Sharing my opinion: Closely connected to that previous one, I’m not the kind of person who shies away from sharing what I think. I might go along with the crowd in some cases, because I value friendships and want to feel like I’m part of the group, but when it comes to ideas I’m usually fine with holding my own, regardless of what everyone else thinks.
- Staying thankful: I think I’m getting better at this. I’m not sure it’s a natural trait or just one of those things where God’s like, “Dude, you need to learn this, so I’ll help you out.” Either way, I’m thankful for it.
What are you good at?
