StoryWorth: Special Talents
What are some of your special talents?
I think of myself as fairly self-aware and unwilling to engage in false modesty. A few years ago I was part of an online bragging group--the idea was that people, especially women, tend to shy away from acknowledging their talents and hard work, believing that if something is easy for them, then it is simply easy and hardly worth doing. On the one hand it was great to have an environment in which I could brag about my accomplishments, both mundane and extraordinary. On the other hand I felt that I didn't get that much out of it because I have the great good fortune (and skill in crafting relationships) to have many people in my life to appreciate me and call my attention to the things I do well, as well as many opportunities to receive praise for my more public talents. It is still hard for me to publish a list like this without feeling horribly vain, and yet to believe that by claiming my own talents I can empower others to do likewise.
- I have beautiful handwriting.
- I have excellent reading comprehension. Those 99th percentile scores on standardized tests never seemed like a big deal, but the more time I spend working through texts with people, the clearer it is to me what a talent it is.
- I am a very good cook, both in terms of making tasty food and at putting food on the table in a timely fashion, in appropriate amounts, tailored to the tastes and restrictions of the diners.
- I am a good host. I am good at planning events and thinking of contingencies. I make people feel welcome in my home and comfortable here.
- I am an excellent public speaker. I have good diction and projection. I am not nervous, I do not giggle, or stammer, or make it look painful. I remember to slow down, to smile and pay attention to my body language. I can engage a crowd and convey the emotional content of my material clearly.
- I am a great gift-giver. I have the good fortune to be able to afford presents for people I love, but also the thoughtfulness and imagination to see what people will enjoy, but are unlikely to buy for themselves.
- I am a good friend. I remember names and details. I check in and keep in touch, but I'm also good at picking up where we left off and moving forward, despite the intervening years. I don't invest so much that I resent when it is not returned. I have a good enough sense of who my friends are and what our relationship is that I don't get mad at people for being themselves. I show up when you need me, or make sure that someone else does.
- I am an excellent storyteller. I can craft the smallest happening into a narrative with beginning, middle, and end. I can find the point of a story and make it clear to my listeners. I understand the difference between supporting detail and irrelevant minutia and more than one person has told me that they've learned, when I launch into a seeming non sequitur of a story, to just hold on because the connection is always there in the end.
- I am an excellent organizer. I can set up easily-maintained systems for keeping large amounts of information sorted and accessible--and then I actually do maintain them. I can make schedules and plans for groups large and small that keep people occupied without being overwhelmed. I can think about what people will need to anticipate problems and keep things running smoothly. And I'm good at building flexibility into the system and accepting the need to change plans and adapt to situations as I find them, without much regret for the previous version.
And I try to use my powers only for good.
Did I forget any talent you find particularly notable? What special talents do you have that you don't usually brag about?
This entry was originally posted at https://lillibet.dreamwidth.org/1314261.html. You can comment either place! There are
comments over there now.
I think of myself as fairly self-aware and unwilling to engage in false modesty. A few years ago I was part of an online bragging group--the idea was that people, especially women, tend to shy away from acknowledging their talents and hard work, believing that if something is easy for them, then it is simply easy and hardly worth doing. On the one hand it was great to have an environment in which I could brag about my accomplishments, both mundane and extraordinary. On the other hand I felt that I didn't get that much out of it because I have the great good fortune (and skill in crafting relationships) to have many people in my life to appreciate me and call my attention to the things I do well, as well as many opportunities to receive praise for my more public talents. It is still hard for me to publish a list like this without feeling horribly vain, and yet to believe that by claiming my own talents I can empower others to do likewise.
- I have beautiful handwriting.
- I have excellent reading comprehension. Those 99th percentile scores on standardized tests never seemed like a big deal, but the more time I spend working through texts with people, the clearer it is to me what a talent it is.
- I am a very good cook, both in terms of making tasty food and at putting food on the table in a timely fashion, in appropriate amounts, tailored to the tastes and restrictions of the diners.
- I am a good host. I am good at planning events and thinking of contingencies. I make people feel welcome in my home and comfortable here.
- I am an excellent public speaker. I have good diction and projection. I am not nervous, I do not giggle, or stammer, or make it look painful. I remember to slow down, to smile and pay attention to my body language. I can engage a crowd and convey the emotional content of my material clearly.
- I am a great gift-giver. I have the good fortune to be able to afford presents for people I love, but also the thoughtfulness and imagination to see what people will enjoy, but are unlikely to buy for themselves.
- I am a good friend. I remember names and details. I check in and keep in touch, but I'm also good at picking up where we left off and moving forward, despite the intervening years. I don't invest so much that I resent when it is not returned. I have a good enough sense of who my friends are and what our relationship is that I don't get mad at people for being themselves. I show up when you need me, or make sure that someone else does.
- I am an excellent storyteller. I can craft the smallest happening into a narrative with beginning, middle, and end. I can find the point of a story and make it clear to my listeners. I understand the difference between supporting detail and irrelevant minutia and more than one person has told me that they've learned, when I launch into a seeming non sequitur of a story, to just hold on because the connection is always there in the end.
- I am an excellent organizer. I can set up easily-maintained systems for keeping large amounts of information sorted and accessible--and then I actually do maintain them. I can make schedules and plans for groups large and small that keep people occupied without being overwhelmed. I can think about what people will need to anticipate problems and keep things running smoothly. And I'm good at building flexibility into the system and accepting the need to change plans and adapt to situations as I find them, without much regret for the previous version.
And I try to use my powers only for good.
Did I forget any talent you find particularly notable? What special talents do you have that you don't usually brag about?
This entry was originally posted at https://lillibet.dreamwidth.org/1314261.html. You can comment either place! There are
comments over there now.