Natural Ability

Around the age of 12, I thought it would be very cool to be a lumberjack. My dad frequently had us cutting down trees and sawing them up. It was hard work, but fun. To be a lumberjack, I knew I needed to acquire new skills. I needed to be able to balance on a log in the water and make it spin--all the lumberjacks in movies did that! But there was no body of water close enough and large enough to allow me to practice (thank goodness). I needed another option.

While walking through the woods one day, I found what I needed--a 55 gallon drum (a barrel). I rolled/carried it to a clearing and went to work. I climbed up on the drum...and fell almost immediately. This was going to be harder than I thought! I climbed up again and fell again, and again, and again, and again, and...well, you get the idea. Every day after school I went to the clearing and practiced. Eventually, I could stand up on the drum and roll it from one end of the field to the other, up hills, and down, through gullies, anywhere.

Did I become a lumberjack? No. But the effort was not a waste of time. For one thing, it was great for my sense of balance. But better than that, it allowed me to hustle my friends. LOL!

One day a group of us were playing in the woods and ended up in the clearing. I innocently mentioned that I bet I could stand on the drum and roll it farther than any of them--this sort of boast is common among boys. After we all agreed to the bet, I used the drum like a steam-roller to crush them!!! It was so much fun! (I was 12)

But as is true with any skill we work to acquire, being better at it than someone else is usually just a matter of having had more practice. But not always, some people are just "naturals" at certain activities. I'm still looking for something I don't have to work at to be good at.

Is there something you were great at right away?

Eating doesn't count! ;P