I Showed My Skill And I Learned A Lot

This past weekend, I was in Bountiful, Utah demonstrating and sharing my coopering skill as I taught kids and adults about Colonial America. I had a great time as I encouraged many to see more than what they have been seeing in life. I think the kids had better vision than many of the adults.

Seeing what you can do allows you to find and hone talents that you may not have recognized in the past. I have learned through a lot of trial and error that I have skills that I didn’t think I had, or in some cases, I didn’t want to recognize. Why wouldn’t I want to recognize them? That leads me to the next point.

What Can You Endure?

I have to admit that I was never really big on camping. As a rather tall guy, I have never found a sleeping bag to be very comfortable. As a matter of fact, I once put my foot through the bottom of a bag while sleeping in the desert. That did not leave me with a lot of confidence in the critter repelling department. I have warmed up a bit more to camping as I have aged, though that seems opposite of the norm. So, I spent three nights camping in a big event tent with no floor. I had the space all to myself and I enjoyed it. I stayed warm and got more sleep than I normally do, even if it was a little less comfortable.

Why did I do it? I was there to show how buckets and barrels are made. Yes, some of us still have the ability to make buckets from wood. The other reason I demonstrate my skill as a cooper is so that I can share ideas of how to live life better. I teach the observers to not live life as a perfectionist. Coopering is a very exact craft, but learning to do it requires practice, and a lot of mistakes. If I worried so much about getting everything perfect right now, I would never complete a bucket, and I would not improve my skills.

Taking time to make mistakes actually saves me time in the long run. By allowing myself to not be perfect, I am able to learn faster, see problems sooner, and find ways to remedy them in new ways. Each time I work at coopering, I get better.

Taking Time To Fail

I used to think that I was horrible at my craft. I didn’t know what I was doing, and it took me forever to get things done. By repeating the process of attempting to get it right, I improved. Now, think about it. Which craft am I referring to? Is it coopering? Perhaps it is software testing. Or maybe, it is mentoring. No, it must be writing.

The reality is that each of these talents that I am still working on has been a sore spot for me at some point of my life. I have never found a skill that I could just do from day one. I remember trying to speak German with my grandparents. My German was horrible. I knew nothing and could not understand what they said, and did not know how to respond. I just kept at it. Then came the month that my grandmother’s oldest sister visited from Germany. She was intimidating and exceptionally intelligent. Tante Eva was someone to be careful around. I remember sweating as I played chess with her. I also made her sweat as we went 2-2-1.

What made her visit even more memorable was the day I sat on the hearth of my grandfather’s fireplace as he and Tante Eva discussed economics and politics. She eventually looked at me and disdainfully asked why I was sitting there. It was a waste of my time because I couldn’t possibly understand anything that they were discussing. That is when the magic happened. I repeated back to her a summary of their hour long discussion, in German. We all sat there in amazement. I hadn’t given it much thought, but all the effort I had made over the years had paid off. It wasn’t perfect, but I had understood. (Don’t ask me to do that today. It has been a long time since I studied German seriously.)

Give More Of Yourself

It seems that too often you think you have nothing to offer. No one would care to listen to you. If you persist in that thinking, people won’t want to approach you, even if they are interested. You create what you get. So sharpen your mind and your language and recognize that you have a lot to offer. When you do, you will make a difference in people’s lives. They will be grateful for you.

Share your honed skill. Brighten the lives of others because you will make a difference. And if you ask yourself, “Why me?“, you may find that you really do have a purpose in life.