Journal day \\ ten

Quite simply, what are you good at? All of us have particular strengths- what are yours? This week, talk about these talents, big or small. Ideas: discuss how you use these things in your daily life or job, how you discovered a knack for this or that, perhaps even touch on whether or not you are passionate about the things you're good at.

Photo credit to KG

The first thing that came to mind when I saw this prompt this week was swimming. I am undeniably better than the average person at swimming. For a long time I used that as an excuse for why I wasn't great at other sports. Swimmers have a reputation for being awkward outside of the water. While this isn't exactly true, I fell back on it from time to time. & it's nice to have something that you know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you're good at, especially when you're younger. (It probably sounds weird coming from someone who runs half marathons & organizes Fitness Friday at work, but I've never considered myself very good at other sports. I don't think I'm bad at them - I just don't think I'm really good at them either. I do them because I enjoy being outside & I'm extremely competitive.)

I find it hard to talk about my strengths. While weaknesses easily spring to mind, I still have to really think about the things that I'm good at. I think it's just human nature to be critical of ourselves so this is definitely a good exercise. I am good at things other than swimming. I've had people tell me that I'm good at motivating others & that I give good fashion advice. While I probably wouldn't say these are skills I possess on my own, I am flattered to hear that. Those are things I'm happy to be good at, if in fact I am. 

Let's talk about what I think I'm good at though. Even as I type this I'm struggling to actually list my strengths. I don't entirely know why, but in the back of my mind I can't help but wonder what people will think. Will they agree? Will they disagree? Most importantly, why do I care? Here goes...

I am good at writing. This is something I question often. Having a blog forces me to focus on writing more, but that doesn't always mean I'm happy with the results. Usually I just need a little distance to come around to it, but it can definitely be difficult to put your words out there on the internet for all to see. But I am a good writer. A large part of my job involves writing & I know that what I put out is well done. 

I am good at research. This may sound like a weird thing to say, but I can actually confidently say that I'm good at this. I am great at asking the google the right questions. I think this partially transfers over to being good at problem solving. Having worked in Customer Service for ten years, this skill is a huge asset. It also transfers over to little everyday things like finding out new recipes or looking up new restaurants. I've got all that under control. Me & the google, we get along real well. 

I am good at planning. This is kind of cheat since it goes hand in hand with research, but I'm a planner. I love planning trips & making sure I include everything I want to see & do. I'm good at making a meal plan every week so that we know what to shop for & what we're eating every night. I'm a little bit Type A there, as my manager pointed out last night. I love to be organized. 

I am good at making people laugh. Sometimes it's at me, sometimes it's with me, & sometimes I'm actually funny. I think. Either way, people tend to laugh when I'm around. 

I am a good cook. I haven't always been the best cook, but I've definitely learned & gotten better as time goes on. I like to experiment & try new recipes so I definitely think that's been the key for me. 

I'm a good teacher. I coached swimming & then taught lessons for a long time & I genuinely think I'm good at this. It's funny because I can't picture myself teaching in a school. I think I was good at teaching swimming because I'm a good swimmer & I love it. Teaching something you love is so rewarding.

I'm a good friend. I'm good a keeping in touch & making people a priority. If you're important to me, you're probably stuck with me unless you try really hard to escape. 

I'm sure there are other things I could come up with, but this is feeling like a really long list. I feel a bit full of myself, so we'll stop here.

Do you find it hard to talk about your strengths? Try it out in the comments below. I'd love to hear what you're good at! 

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This post is in response to Danielle's prompt on her blog, Sometimes Sweet. Find the rest of my responses in this series here.

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