53. It's OK to admit that you do not know something.

I think that I have mastered this life lesson. I have found that if you demonstrate some skill or expertise that you will be called upon to utilize it far more than you might want. If a friend is a home handyman or can fix minor car aliments you can be sure that their name is at the top of a lot of telephone lists for assistance. I have chosen instead to demonstrate no special skill at anything nor develop any useful expertise. My motto is "Hide your competencies" or you will forever be harassed. 

I am also doubly fortunate in that I have no problem admitting that I am not good at something or cannot perform any useful tasks. I am useless with home and auto repairs, at golfing or curling, have no interest at gardening or working out, and cannot discuss sex, religion, or politics with any expertise. If they made a movie of my life it would consist of a lot of scenes with me reading, writing or napping. 

Most normal people seem to be embarrassed when they are unable to perform some task like fixing a dripping faucet or building a fence, or cooking a gourmet dinner. They should not be. We have all ( except me) been blessed with gifts in some areas - sports, crafts, cooking, gardening, conversation, or needlepoint. We need to celebrate our strengths and not dwell upon areas in which we are not proficient. If you can't get your computer to work properly you just admit that it is not a skill you possess and either take some computer courses or find an expert to help you. There's no shame in not knowing something.

My favourite example to illustrate the true meaning of failure is found in baseball. If a ballplayer gets only two base hits in ten times at bat they have a .200 batting average. If they get three hits in ten at-bats the have a .300 batting average and are considered a star or at least very, very competent. In fact, both players would be considered absolute failures as they both fail 70 to 80% of the time. The difference between success and failure is so tiny that it is not worth either lamenting one's poor performance and acknowledging the other's success. Failure is a very relative term. Don't sweat it!