How good are you? And does it matter? I'm not talking in the moral sense, although it can be a factor. No, what I mean is how capable do you think you are?
For many of us, it's not an easy question to answer. At least, it becomes more difficult as we mature.
Here's a little story, maybe it will have a familiar ring.
Today, I asked a 14 year old boy about website design.
I asked him if his father had a website for his business. He thought not.
Knowing that this lad wants to work for his dad as soon as he can get out of school (tomorrow if possible), I asked him if the website is something he could do for him.
'Oh yes, no problem,' he replied 'I can do websites'.
This surprised me a little, and encouraged by the prospect of a meaningful conversation, I delved a little deeper 'what software do you use?'.
'Dunno, what do you use?'
Very soon -- about two questions later -- it became apparent that this kid knew almost nothing about website design, he really hasn't got a clue where to start. And yet, he's quite happy in his belief that he could do it.
Do you know what? He's absolutely right.
I know that when his dad wants his website, his son will do it and he'll probably make a marvellous job too.
Very often, we can learn more from kids than they do from us.
You may have heard the term 'winging it'.
For instance, 'I didn't really know what I was doing, I just winged it and it worked out OK' (I don't know if this term is widely used outside of the UK so you might think I'm talking nonsense).
Anyway, in other words, it's taking something on without actually knowing what you are doing and getting through it.
It's a bit like the teacher who knows nothing about his subject, but is one page further ahead in the manual than his class.
The story of the 14 year old (completely true and almost verbatim) takes the term winging it to its highest and most glorious level.
Fourteen-year-old boys aside, the vast majority of us completely underestimate our skills and aptitudes.
When faced with a task we usually ask ourselves if we can do it.
If we judge that we can't, then we don't.
We don't do it, we don't learn anything and we are all the poorer for it.
Oh, and how would that kid do it?
Well, if he's really up the creek, he'll probably ask his mate to help him out, and that's allowed.
But, if his mate's too busy, he'll just do it, one step at a time.
