Things at Which I Do Not Excel

Now that I am no longer 30, I think it is important to do a bit of self-analysis. I guess 30 was my milestone year to take stock. In so doing, I took a moment to comment on my faults and my strengths. Let's start with my weaknesses...

I'm going to limit it to ten today, so please do not feel the need to tell me I've left anything out.

1. Patience (From trying to tell Nathan how to play Plants v. Zombies to how he's not chopping the onions correctly-But seriously, those pieces have to be somewhat uniform if you want them to cook evenly, right?-my patience is, shall we say, lacking. Teaching was a career path I never even considered both to protect my own sanity and to prevent future generations from developing inferiority complexes and high therapy bills.)

2. Bossiness. (See above. At least I am aware that I am pushy. I am moderately good at biting my tongue when my advice is not taken. Only moderately though. It has taken years of work to at least ask Nathan first, "Can I make a suggestion?" I have FINALLY reached the point where I can keep it to myself half the time when he invariably says, "Nope." And this is progress. You're welcome, Nathan.)

3. Self-Control ("Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." Unfortunately, my bridge is one of those precarious rope bridges with the large gaps that yawn above the great jaggedy rocks below.)

4. "Managing Up." (And pretty much all that other crap there is office jargon to describe. I should try to be better at this, but I just can't muster the interest. Some people appreciate this stance, but sadly, not those people who have ever been capable of furthering my career.)

5. Sending packages on time (Probably a record setter for the latest wedding gift ever mailed. I was super thrilled to have sent two baby gifts recently that actually arrived BEFORE the baby was born. However, sadly they went out in the same shipment as three or four other baby gifts that were to babies who are now at least 6 months old.)

6. Keeping my thoughts to myself. (I have a blog, so yeah, there's that. Also not good at disguising my facial expressions. Poker face, I have not. One of my co-workers is fantastic at this; I'm trying to learn from her example though it is a Mount Everest of a goal.)

7. Tact and Subtlety. (This has gotten me into enough awkward situations that I am well aware enough of this weakness to first AVOID the mess if at all possible. If it's not, I try to follow Nathan's example and talk less, get quieter, and not make any abrupt movements. It seems to work for him in most instances though still not in arguments with me.)

8. Refraining from being over dramatic. (Sure, I'm a bit of a drama queen. I jump to conclusions and may occasionally throw things-pillows, not plates, of course-and I often pull the whole freak out before I think it through deal, and yes, I worry about EVERY possibility of a situation even the impossibilities. But it certainly doesn't help that Nathan is so low key that even my modest freak outs look ridiculously overblown.)

9. Modesty. (Sure, I excel at wearing underwear, but I'm not so good at keeping my proclamations in check concerning how awesome I am. I do like to congratulate myself publicly on my achievements. I'm not working to improve this trait. I think my husband needs these reminders in order to fully appreciate me. I like to think of this as self-marketing.)

10. Being positive. (Sure, my job might have been wildly frustrating this past year, but how many other fantastic things did I have going on that I was ignoring to focus on gnashing my teeth and wailing about how I was under-appreciated and never getting a promotion? I have a tendency to obsess, and I'm working on increasing noticing the positive, or at least trying not to say negatives aloud as often.)

Tomorrow, my good points. Of which I have decidedly more than ten (and is probably why people can usually put up with these faults.)