Gentlemen, what has taken you the longest to get good or decent at?

22 comments

  1. Only thing I’m halfway decent at is writing and that’s been a lifelong process.

  2. Probably my jump shot in basketball. It’s still come and go, but on a good day it feels like every decent look is going in. I’m not a natural athlete and never played formally in high school or beyond, so it’s taken a lot of work. Getting in a rhythm is super satisfying.

  3. I absolutely *suck* at knitting.

    It’s been over ten years since I started, back when I was still at university and thought it would be cool (in a weird quirky way) to be able to knit during lectures.

    And after all these years I still knit holes and knots and gaps where they shouldn’t be.

    If I concentrate really well I might be able to knit a straight scarf, but anything more complex than that will look like shit.

    But I’m not giving up! I tell myself it’s healthy to do things you suck at every now and then.

  5. Mudding drywall ( more than just a patch).

    Bunny hopping on my mountain bike

    Wake surfing ( that fn sweet spot)

    Not flooding my trimmer when cutting the grass

  10. Staying calm and collected. I’m an extremely emotional person and I very much wear my heart on my sleeve, from complaints to shitty days to being overjoyed. Everything is a rollercoaster it feels.

    I’ve spent my life learning to deal with myself and to stay calm when I’m boiling inside. I’m nowhere near done, but these days I’m finding myself balanced in a way that is really satisfying and I feel like I’m really getting ahead in this. Looking at my peers around me I feel somewhat proud of just changing my attitude and staying collected through some times when I was actually boiling (or freezing) inside.

    The subtle art of learning to STFU is an important one and I finally feel like I’m managing that.

  11. I have over 4000 hours playtime in Counter Strike. My rank is MGE, which is the 6th highest of 18 ranks. According to some statistic I saw online, that would make me part of the top 20% of players. But I still feel like I’m only mediocre at best because the competition is hard.

  12. Public speaking/socializing.

    I was such a shy, insecure kid for a lot of my life. Cried at school a lot, ate lunch in the bathroom etc. Eventually I had a middle school teacher who told me I was an incredible speaker and should join the speech/debate team (she was lying, I couldn’t give a speech without bursting into tears). But I think having her belief gave me the courage to learn public speaking and eventually brought me to the realization that I could learn and improve anything if I put in the work.

    I wouldn’t say that I’m intrinsically extroverted now, but I can turn on those skills when I need it and I love giving speeches and presentations. Most people I know now as an adult are shocked to hear that I was ever shy or awkward as a kid.

  16. Loving myself and playing the piano. I still fumble though but I’m seeing improvements. Hopefully I’ll be good enough to play the opening song from Up at my best friends wedding:)

  18. Asserting healthy boundaries, life is a lot less stressful when you don’t care about pushy people liking you or not.

  20. Chess. I play a ton of blitz chess because I don’t have time for a longer format usually. It’s been a few years and I’m still at like a 1600 rating on a really good day.

  21. Learning how to play jazz on guitar. Jesus Christ it is difficult. I legitimately think it takes 5 years of intense practice to not sound like complete trash. For most its longer.

  22. It took me over 10 years to get good at hockey. Well good by my standards, I was never great.

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