Contemplating what I may or may not be good at is a bit of an exercise in arrogance. For the sake of today’s writing prompt, I’ll let that slide and reflect on some of those things I think I’m actually pretty good at.

OBSCURE TRIVIA

Quick…the question:

What historical figure was assassinated near the Miljacka River in 1914?

I’m not sure if it is from my love of reading or if it’s something else, but while playing Trivial Pursuit back when it was the rage, I had an uncanny ability to pull a correct answer to a super obscure trivia question seemingly out of the air. Whether it was sports, entertainment, history or geography, my educated guess is usually about 80% successful.

These days, we tend to play Trivia Crack on long trips to pass the time. I’m not quite as successful with those but I still have a pretty good accuracy rate.

By the way, the answer to the question? Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

DIY PROJECTS

Until the advent of YouTube, I would never have attempted the numerous home projects I’ve successfully completed over the past few decades of homeownership, and more than likely would have paid out thousands of dollars to companies to get the projects done for me.

There was the summer before I had a mobile phone, sitting on my family room floor with the engine of my lawn mower on a big piece of cardboard and my desktop opened to YouTube, following the content provider’s instruction video to fix it…and it worked!

A number of years later, I rolled my snowblower into my foyer in the midst of a snowstorm to replace the paddles and tighten up the retractor wire. Bingo, another ka-ching staying in my own pocket!

Since then, I’ve been able to complete a plethora of tasks (including multiple snowblower fixes), install my water softener myself (those installation charges are insane), and go to YouTube whenever I need an extra mentor with a task I haven’t done before.

TECHNOLOGY

Efficiency is something I gravitate towards in life. The more efficient I am in completing a task, the more discretionary time I have on my hands to do whatever I want…or simply nothing at all.

Many moons ago, I recall using the Basic computer language to create math and spelling games for my daughter to “play”, long before Nintendo and WII were a thing. These days, we direct Alexa to turn on and off the lights, ask Siri for directions, edit our email in Outlook using AI, and even have driverless vehicles on the road.

I’ve always been excited to be introduced to new forms of technology and in most cases can understand it quite well right out of the box (sometimes with the help of YouTube of course).

PATIENCE

They do say patience is a virtue, and in most cases, I am a very patient sort of guy. Yes, I do have a pulse and get triggered like anyone else would at times, especially when faced with frustrating situations, but overall, I tend to believe that a person needs to stop and calm themselves before presenting their reaction to a given situation. Taking a moment to breathe deeply allows us to reflect on our feelings and consider the impact of our words before we speak. It’s in this brief pause that we often find clarity, transforming potential conflicts into constructive dialogues. By practicing patience, we not only show respect for our own feelings but also for those of others, fostering an environment where understanding and empathy can thrive.

CREATIVITY

First of all, my artistic ability is non-existent. My version of “art” and drawing would include a stick figure, one that a child in kindergarten would draw. The drawing above is even more creative than I could get.

With that being said, I still consider myself to be of the creative sort. Obviously, with Moteventure’s beginning as a corporate game hub, I (as well as my amazing team) would constantly come up with new and creative ways to work fun and creativity into employee engagement and competition.

On a personal level, I once wound a story of love and redemption around a shell that I provided to my wife at Christmastime many years ago. One of my most favorite hobbies is photography (I actually taught a photography class while in college), and I’ve worked with learning the intricacies of the i-Phone photo app as well as the options creatively with other apps.

My best ideas come to me in the early morning before I’m completely and wide awake. I tend to jot them down and then later I read again and wonder what I was thinking!

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

We invite you to reflect on your unique abilities, whether they are artistic, athletic, intellectual, or otherwise, and delve into the journey that has shaped these skills. Consider the experiences, mentors, or challenges you have faced along the way that have contributed to your growth in these areas. Your insights can inspire others, so please take the time to articulate not just the talents themselves, but also the stories and circumstances that have fostered your exceptional capabilities.

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