How do you know you're good at something?

[wolkenkraetzer]

One of our biggest "blind spots" is that we're perfectionists--and thus never feel that we're "ready for prime time".

Whenever someone asks me for advice, and I feel confident in giving it, or if someone asks me to teach them something they see me doing better then they can do, I go ahead and do it--then I go out and learn/practice it some more.

 

[just me]

When you do this so much:

That you can do this at will.

 

[Eventhorizon]

When you do this so much:

That you can do this at will.

Dont know what a railgun is. But I have a smaller grouping at 100 yards and I dont get to the range much. I was last there 5 years ago.

 

[Nixie]

I think that people who are good at things rarely do what they do for outward validation , they just do good work. I do my best on everything I work at and am good because I work at it. Its about skill and that takes practice. Plus sometimes you just have this instinctive strength/intuition or talent too. I do what makes sense and have a real talent for creating thourough processes that are more efficient. After awhile I think your natural talents become apparent and hard work sharpens skills.

 

[Nixie]

Also, I think the key that makes most people doubt their talents/skills is an inability to act/react decisively. This timidity has nothing to do with whether you are talented or not and is why sometimes less talented, but more decisive people get ahead of those with more talent. Its not enough to HAVE it, you have to effectively USE it.

 

[Free Mind]

I try not to judge myself against others, it's generally a feeling I get that I am good/getting better at something and that pushes me to improve even more. I prefer to set personal goals rather than judge against others...Saying this, the biggest indication is the compliments from other people~

 

[just me]

Dont know what a railgun is. But I have a smaller grouping at 100 yards and I dont get to the range much. I was last there 5 years ago.

Once you learn it, it's like riding a bicycle. My smallest was .25" with 3 shots. Anything sub 1/2", with the right stuff, will put you on target at 1000 yards. I think it's my way of saying, there's nothing like proof to look at. A paper target lets a person know when they are good at something.

 

[Gaze]

I try not to judge myself against others, it's generally a feeling I get that I am good/getting better at something and that pushes me to improve even more. I prefer to set personal goals rather than judge against others...Saying this, the biggest indication is the compliments from other people~

Agree, when I've compared myself, I fell short. When I started to simply value my strengths for my own personal enjoyment or benefit, my experience was much more positive. It became less about proof that I could be "just as good as you" and "look at what I can do" and became personal appreciation that feels more like "this is cool, I can do this, awesome!"

 

[barbad0s]

Hmm... it feels nice to be complimented by others, but I think that in many cases people are being nice and offering moral support rather than giving a constructive assessment. Also, even if they are trying to make an objective observation, it doesn't necessarily mean their observations are accurate, or that they are unbiased. Furthermore there's a difference between assessing your skill level simply for knowledge, and applying the knowledge to feel a certain way about yourself or your identity. Frankly, I don't have a clear sense of my own identity. I'm not sure if it's because I don't know how to look or because I can't see it, or because my conception of reality prevents me from acknowledging its presence. I have great difficulty in assessing my value in terms of understanding my feelings about myself and my capabilities. I tend to oscillate sharply between feeling like a superhero and feeling like a complete failure depending on the situation. Therefore to maintain my emotional stability it is imperative that I understand my innate strengths in terms of thinking and mental organization, as well as the knowledge of how I've performed in various past circumstances, since I perceive things so fluidly, to just try to use the knowledge and try my best with each new situation.

 

[Elis]

In person I have a way to sound like I know what I'm talking about, so I've come to tell people that I actually don't know when I'm only speculating. Personally I think I'm good at convincing myself. Definitely some Kruger effect going on.

 

[Reign]

Your good when you've experienced a relentless amount of success.

ALL Relentless experiences takes relentless practise....and practise to be accomplished.
Until.... people can tell you've been practising and then stop recognising you've been practising.

You may now at that point feel some contempt at what you do.

The precedents have to weigh up...waaa-ay up.... so that the odds of future outcomes have a greater rate of success.
Though technically.
We make our own routes..

 

[koopabrat]

I don't necessarily assume that I'm good at anything. I may notice that I'm better at doing something than somebody else is, but I understand that there are people out there that are much more adept to that particular skill than I am. I feel uncomfortable if I find myself better at something than someone else and I get this nagging feeling to help that person hone their skills.

 

[floatingbridge]

This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name! ~ Fort Minor​