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What are Your Gifts?
I was inspired by an idea from Dr. Bastiat’s post on intelligence. @django mentioned that he was a person who could see things outside the standard patterns that others missed. That’s quite a gift. I was thinking that each of us (unless you’re a young whippersnapper) knows our gifts, especially those that we appreciate and others do, too!
For example, I have been told in certain environments when things are confused and chaotic that I can see into the heart of the matter, and can clarify the situation for others. I like having that ability and having it appreciated. I also have convinced people that I am a person who handles conflict well and tend to be balanced and even-tempered on Ricochet. You should see me in real life! Actually, my experiences on Ricochet have helped me grow a great deal in this regard, so I consider those of you who have “triggered” me to be my teachers. Thank you.
I’m sure many of you have dozens of talents that you treasure and that have been appreciated by others. Or you may treasure them and others hate you for them. Or others love them and you hate them. H.m.m.m…. I thinking I’m getting sidetracked.
Anyway, would you mind sharing your gifts? Rather than just artistic gifts (which you are welcome to include), you might think of the gifts you have that show up in your interactions with others.
So, what are your gifts?
Published in Culture
6’2″ and 220 is small?
For discus and shot (and javelin)? Yes.
It’s all relative but the top US shot putter today is this guy . . .
He’s 6′ 8″ and 320 lbs (and not just a brute but pretty athletic)
I’m good at finding trivial hidden logical inconsistencies in the mostly careful writing of brilliant people, and then not saying anything about them.
High level discus throwers are usually tall. At least 6’4″, but usually over 6’6″. Not huge and muscular – they often look like NBA power forwards. Maybe somewhat more muscular – but not beefy.
Shot put is very different. They’re usually 6’4″ and 325 or something – very beefy, no muscle definition, but very strong and very quick feet. Instead of long and lean like a discus throwers, they tend to be wide and husky.
Holy cats. What’s his name?
Outstanding!
Heck no. I move telephone poles the old fashioned way – with power equipment.
That is hilarious. I always thought your avatar was from some famous painting of a Native American warrior or something. Now that I know it’s you I’m going right out to drive my potato-like body into the nearest marsh.
Ryan Crouser. His dad and uncles were all world class throwers. I read about him when he was in high school and threw 77, which is crazy.
You’ve got a theme song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzUKcXxbU4U
All kidding aside (which is hard for me), I have no really special talents, but when I’m really interested in something, I work at it harder than most people.
At various times in my life, I’ve gotten terribly interested in (1) bowling, (2) reading and analyzing literature (3) woodworking (4) drawing (5) writing (6) running
In each case, I think I tried harder than most people to succeed at those tasks.
Is working hard a gift?
That is hysterical–and perfect!
Absolutely!!! Persistence, persistence, persistence!
I’ll meet you there. My body is potato-like as well, now.
When my kids were small, they didn’t believe that those old pictures were really me. They’ve only known me as a chubby middle-aged Dad.
Time moves along.
I was expecting this:
Yes.
Arahant, you’re always supportive — and sometimes witty. May I send you money? Do you prefer a Paypal transfer or a personal check?
Check, please.
Great question, Susan. I am just old enough to have recently graduated from being a young whippersnapper! What are my gifts? I am good at taking difficult concepts, organizational intricacies, and business models- and communicating them in a way that a general audience can understand. That encompasses a large portion of my professional responsibilities. So I try to grasp what language and ideas that my audience might not understand and explain that before widening out to a bigger picture. I try to keep things as simple as possible, but no simpler- in line with how Einstein preferred to explain things.
Outstanding, @kelseyshockey! Welcome to the old whippersnapper world!
It’s in the mail.
I’m alive and consider that a gift. I believe that everyone is dealt at least one “crap hand” in life. Some are worse than others. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when I was 7 and that was my crap hand. It could have been much worse. I could have had cancer or lost my sight or my parents could have been Democrats or a million other things. I’ve almost died a handful of times because of it, but hey, those experiences make good bar stories!
I thank God that diabetes was my “crap hand.” And when you break it down my hand isn’t really that bad. I can’t eat candy and have to watch my weight and exercise? Oooh, the horror…..
So many people have it so much worse than I do. I consider God showing me some mercy when he picked the obstacles to put in my path a great gift and I thank him for it every day.
I’m T1D too. I was 21 when I got it. I feel blessed as well. There are far bigger burdens to carry. It isn’t that bad when you do the right thing!
Wow, that’s pretty late! I’ve actually heard about more and more cases of people getting T1 later in life. That’s gotta be tough. I guess I’m lucky because I never really remember not being diabetic so I dont have that contrast.
@jamessalerno and @kelseyshockey, both of you are such examples of how to take barriers in stride and break through them. I was going to say you made them into lemonade, but I think mixing metaphors doesn’t work so well. ;-) I give you both the ribbon of resilience, though. Thank you for sharing a piece of your lives.
There is some evidence that it’s the only gift that matters.
A couple of years ago I read a fascinating book called Peak: Secrets From The New Science Of Expertise, by Anders Ericsson. The book explores how people get good at things, and in particular it examines the question of whether innate talent is really a thing. Largely, Ericsson concludes, it is not: if you are very good at something, it is almost always because you worked hard at it, and probably for a long time. If there is a gift, the gift is in your willingness (or desire) to do the work.
He even largely debunks the idea that geniuses like Mozart were innately gifted to a greater extent than the rest of us. If you look at Mozart’s life, you find that he became so incredibly brilliant by working at it. He did not spring from the womb able to play the piano or compose symphonies; he was born into a musical family, in particular with a father who was a frustrated musician himself and therefore encouraged and enabled his son’s musical development from a very early age. But it took lots of work and practice for him to become good at it. His gift, other than his circumstances, was his proclivity for putting in the work.
I am reminded of what Albus Dumbledore said to Harry Potter: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
They have the gift of gratitude. That’s available to all of us, but few of us take it up.
Yes and no. Aptitudes are real. An aptitude is not a skill, but rather potential for a particular skill to be developed through practice and learning.
Mozart had both an exceptional aptitude and a trained habit of practice.
One might add that he had a persistent interest in using those skills after it became voluntary. He had the financial necesary to develop the skill and the connections to capitalize on it. He had a love of beauty, as opposed to people encouraging him to waste his skill on avant garde trash. Many factors determine opportunity and success.
In consideration of aptitudes, ask yourself if anyone could be a skilled mathematican, a skilled mechanic, a skilled orator, or a skilled inventor with study and practice. Personalities are largely innate. Different modes of thinking and feeling lend themselves to different disciplines.
Incidentally, both my skill and my frustration were predicted by a professional aptitude test (by GE, I think). On the one hand, my musical memory ranks in the top 5%. On the other hand, my manual dexterity ranks low. Thus, I’m good at making songs but mediocre at playing them.