If you could improve one thing about yourself... [Archive]

Roger1

Mar 4, 2003, 10:09 PM

Hey all

If you could improve one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Would it be some skill or talent you wish to hone, or perhaps something you perceive as a character flaw? Maybe even your athletic ability? What one thing would you want to improve about yourself?

Mine: Improve my skill at hanging and mudding drywall. I stink at it! But I have many, many rooms in my house to practice in, so I should be a pro within the next 10 years. :D

3rdpath

Mar 4, 2003, 10:13 PM

to be less humble.;)

jelloshotsrule

Mar 4, 2003, 10:44 PM

motivation... i think it's something a lot of people have trouble with, but sometimes i just freaking put things off. and off and off

also, i'd like to not be allergic to nyc... at least not while i live here.

MrMacMan

Mar 4, 2003, 10:56 PM

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule
motivation... i think it's something a lot of people have trouble with, but sometimes i just freaking put things off. and off and off

also, i'd like to not be allergic to nyc... at least not while i live here.
Was that pre- 9/11 ?

I need to improve my sarcasm, I use too little. God damnit there it is again, me using too much sarcasm.

Errrr.

Mr. Anderson

Mar 4, 2003, 10:59 PM

Originally posted by 3rdpath
to be less humble.;)

or maybe not always right?

I'd like to cut the amount of sleep I need in half - too much to do and not enough time.

D

jelloshotsrule

Mar 4, 2003, 11:05 PM

Originally posted by MrMacman
Was that pre- 9/11 ?

I need to improve my sarcasm, I use too little. God damnit there it is again, me using too much sarcasm.

actually, good point... it wasn't. i was never allergic to anything before. and being in pennsylvania it's pretty easy to have some sort of allergic reaction... but nothing. and now. fairly recently... it's gotten bad. i'm ALWAYS tired. and i generally always wake up with a stuffy nose... messed up

one time my bro tried to give up being sarcastic for lent... didn't work. but hey, he's a bastard. so he had that working against him too

howard

Mar 4, 2003, 11:20 PM

i'd have a really good memory, cause i have a really bad one right now

scem0

Mar 4, 2003, 11:21 PM

hmmmmmmmm hard question.......

thinking.........

I think I would change how I ignore what I know is important.

Such as I know I should start my geometry homework, so I can
at least have 3/4 of it done and get ~ a 70, but I'm gunna post
on MR instead and probably not do anything tomorrow, and end
up getting ~ a 30. I do this ALL THE TIME. I wouldn't really call
it bad time-management. I would call it not having enough
motivation, but either way, my homework remains incomplete.

At least my teachers like me despite my bad homework habits,
because I am a good student in all other categories - I test well,
participate in class, and enjoy most of my classes.

God, I always say school sucks, but I really mean homework sucks.

:o :( :rolleyes:

3rdpath

Mar 4, 2003, 11:26 PM

Originally posted by dukestreet
or maybe not always right?
D

forget the smiley did we?

either way, i'll work on it....;)

mymemory

Mar 4, 2003, 11:33 PM

That is why I'm in this life.

I have to be a better:
VJ
Video Editor
After Effecs Animator
Speaking English and Spanish
in politics
lover:cool:
business person
catholic
worker
millionarie
fighter
thinker
artist
so on and so on...

scem0

Mar 4, 2003, 11:47 PM

you have to be a better speaking English and Spanish?

hehe. I think your English is excellent, with very few exceptions.
I could never learn another language like that. :rolleyes: ;)

Doctor Q

Mar 4, 2003, 11:54 PM

I need to learn to skim better when I read. I buy books, subscribe to a few magazines, read the L.A. Times and Newsweek, and I read lots of online and hardcopy computer documentation. I tend to read for detail, which is fine when you need to know the details, but not always necessary. It just takes more time than I have available.

Otherwise I'm purfekt.

MrMacMan

Mar 5, 2003, 12:16 AM

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule
actually, good point... it wasn't. i was never allergic to anything before. and being in pennsylvania it's pretty easy to have some sort of allergic reaction... but nothing. and now. fairly recently... it's gotten bad. i'm ALWAYS tired. and i generally always wake up with a stuffy nose... messed up

one time my bro tried to give up being sarcastic for lent... didn't work. but hey, he's a bastard. so he had that working against him too

Don't draw conclusions to be being your bro, ;) .

I suppose spending less time HERE.

ARG too late, must get off macrumors.

jelloshotsrule

Mar 5, 2003, 12:18 AM

Originally posted by MrMacman
Don't draw conclusions to be being your bro, ;) .

I suppose spending less time HERE.

ARG too late, must get off macrumors.

as though you don't dream about such things?

well i guess not. what with the curse.

bah

don't fight it. let the rumors keep you here... or at least let the dumb banter keep you here.

shadowfax

Mar 5, 2003, 12:57 AM

Originally posted by Doctor Q
I need to learn to skim better when I read. I buy books, subscribe to a few magazines, read the L.A. Times and Newsweek, and I read lots of online and hardcopy computer documentation. I tend to read for detail, which is fine when you need to know the details, but not always necessary. It just takes more time than I have available.

I have a similar problem--i just read thoroughly, no matter what i read, and it takes me forever to do it. bah, it sucks.

WinterMute

Mar 5, 2003, 07:23 AM

I wish i'd discovered Aikido 20 years ago instead of 5, i'm 39 now and I'm just running out of time. My body can't take the punishment it could back then, and i'd like to get to at least 3rd dan:)

Otherwise, I don't want to change anything, family, work and play I'm in a really good place right now.

(Where's my bloody 17" aluBook????)

Mr. Anderson

Mar 5, 2003, 08:08 AM

Originally posted by 3rdpath
forget the smiley did we?

either way, i'll work on it....;)

ah, yeah, i did - I hope the implied sarcasm was enough ;)

one other thing - I wish I was a better artist (drawing with pencil and paper). I'm not bad, I just never developed it enough to be as good as I'd like.

D

eyelikeart

Mar 5, 2003, 09:09 AM

Originally posted by dukestreet
I'd like to cut the amount of sleep I need in half - too much to do and not enough time.

damn...I didn't think I'd see anyone else ever say that one...

if I could figure out a way to get around sleeping every other night even...I'd do it...;)

JupiterZen

Mar 5, 2003, 09:42 AM

[i]I'd like to cut the amount of sleep I need in half - too much to do and not enough time.

There a several chemicals available that can help you achieve this.

:cool:

Just to bad all the really effective ones are outlawed.

eyelikeart

Mar 5, 2003, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by JupiterZen
There a several chemicals available that can help you achieve this.

:cool:

Just to bad all the really effective ones are outlawed.

he he...yeah...too bad ;)

pulling a 14-16 hour workday isn't completely insane for me...but still feels like I could get more done if I just didn't need to sleep...

then there's always the occasional 2 dayer I pull from time to time...haven't done that in a while...

Alte22a

Mar 5, 2003, 10:26 AM

Should sleep to function better.

Work too late at night finding it difficult to get up for work. Dont start to function properly until after lunch. Oh yeah smoke less and drink less coffee too, Coffee makes me agitated easily..

alex_ant

Mar 5, 2003, 11:51 AM

I wish I weren't so brilliant or good looking. Being above everyone else is nice at first, but it does get lonely at the top.

bcsimac

Mar 5, 2003, 12:06 PM

If there was one thing I could improve myself in or on, it would be to not be ADHD anymore; but I want to keep my talents, skills, desire, motivation, and the good things. ADHD makes you an underachiever. It takes away from your performance. It makes discouragement a regular problem. People misunderstand what you are about when you are ADHD. ADHD makes you an outsider when you don't want to be. Every teacher I ever had told me I was extremely bright, intelligent, and motivated; but it didn't result in the best of grades. Every coach I had told me I was extremely talented, but I couldn't gain consistency. Most of the managers I have had told me that I had lots of potential and talent; but I have struggled to perform to expectations and to hold on to jobs for any length of time. It is hard to concentrate and not figid. It is hard to expand into other areas for fear that you will get overwhelmed or worse fail. It is hard to get organized. It is extremely frustrating to hear people say......"you have such a good mind..........you are so bright and intelligent.........you are very talented......you have so much potential........you are such a nice, caring, compassionate person.....and etc." It hurts most when people label you a loser, a freak, or a jerk when you aren't any of those things. I would give anything to keep the talents and everything that people say I have but get rid of the ADHD symptoms I have that constantly sabtoshes me. Unfortunately, I know it is hereditary in my family and something God created in me to have to overcome eveyday.

jefhatfield

Mar 5, 2003, 12:07 PM

Originally posted by Roger1
Hey all

If you could improve one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Would it be some skill or talent you wish to hone, or perhaps something you perceive as a character flaw? Maybe even your athletic ability? What one thing would you want to improve about yourself?

Mine: Improve my skill at hanging and mudding drywall. I stink at it! But I have many, many rooms in my house to practice in, so I should be a pro within the next 10 years. :D

one can never be too humble and that is what i would want to change about myself

as for skills, i would have liked to have started my second job much earlier so i could have had more experience...i have been a techie for a living since 1999 and i missed out on all that fun stuff when apple stunk and windows 95 was the best the pc world could come up with ;)

in my other job in landscape gardening, i am terrible at remembering the names of plants...even after 14 years with my own business and i wish i had a better memory for latin names

i have played guitar for 27 years but i am not that good for someone who has played that long so i wish i could have had the discipline to have read music early on

Roger1

Mar 5, 2003, 01:25 PM

in my other job in landscape gardening, i am terrible at remembering the names of plants...even after 14 years with my own business and i wish i had a better memory for latin names

LOL:D

That is just TOO funny!!! My issue is I forget things at work. My coworkers, whom I share an office with, actually expect me to return to the office to get some small obeject that I forgot the first time around. You know, like my TOOLBOX.
Or an ethernet cable, for that printer I just set up on the other side of town :rolleyes:

I'd like to blame it on age, but then people would think I'm old. Wait, I am old!
Doh!

3rdpath

Mar 5, 2003, 01:50 PM

Originally posted by alex_ant
I wish I weren't so brilliant or good looking. Being above everyone else is nice at first, but it does get lonely at the top.

just remember in your moments of melancholy and solitude that you're giving the rest of us a goal...however unattainable it may be in reality.

;)

JupiterZen

Mar 5, 2003, 07:45 PM

Originally posted by eyelikeart
he he...yeah...too bad ;)

pulling a 14-16 hour workday isn't completely insane for me...but still feels like I could get more done if I just didn't need to sleep...

then there's always the occasional 2 dayer I pull from time to time...haven't done that in a while...

Had a 2-dayer for the first time in a while last week. It wasn't so bad. Downside was that it was work that just had to be done. Not just the "oops, it it the next morning already" kind of impulsive action.

Made me remember the good old days when I was up all night with some friends, just talking, being creative, recording video, music and things like that.

And that one time that I was awake for almost a week, just to find out what would happen ;)

:cool:

JupiterZen

Mar 5, 2003, 07:46 PM

If you could improve one thing about yourself, what would it be?

And it would be nice if my Omnipotence Factor was be a little higher ;)

topicolo

Mar 5, 2003, 08:40 PM

I'd like to upgrade my chick magnet to a chick supermagnet.

eyelikeart

Mar 5, 2003, 09:25 PM

Originally posted by JupiterZen
And that one time that I was awake for almost a week, just to find out what would happen ;)

well...what happened?! :eek: :D

jefhatfield

Mar 5, 2003, 09:42 PM

wow, what is it you guys do to stay up so long?

there are people with mental diseases that keep them from sleeping and they would never stay up for the sake of just staying awake:p

i am starting to get into programming and writing a flawless program that simply adds to numbers together, such as 1 + 1, can take 24 hours to do and get to run on windows xp...it's a chore for a newbie and i see how very difficult programs can keep people up for many, many hours

it's kind of like a plastic model or something where you just keep on going and get off on watching the thing get closer to completion

...but with java programming...i can't speak for the other languages since i have not taken those classes...well, if you don't do it right, it could mean back to square one

my teacher stayed up for two days once just to get a program working

bousozoku

Mar 5, 2003, 10:41 PM

I would worry less about what other people think of me, so I could get more done and feel happier.

JupiterZen

Mar 6, 2003, 04:18 AM

Originally posted by eyelikeart
well...what happened?! :eek: :D

After three days you get little visual and auditory hallucinations. Seeing thing in the corner of your eyes. Like there is a bug flying thru the room, only it isn't there when you really look. Or shadows become kneeling people, only to become shadows again when you look closely.

This slowly get stronger and stronger the next days. Fuelling your paranoia. And giving you the feeling you are fading out of the real world. Like everything is a dream. You can feel that your mind needs the resting of sleep. Rebooting for the next day.

Unix is more stable ;) it runs for months without needing a reboot. Maybe we need a service pack or something ;)

It's a really wierd trip.

;) :cool:

Squire

Mar 6, 2003, 09:05 AM

Lots of good points by everyone.

*Time is important to me so the sleep point really hits home. But I would rather just clone myself so I could get twice as much done, be in two places at once, work AND play at the same time, etc.

*What was the other thing? Ah, right, my memory could be a bit better. I teach about 300 students per term and, damn, it's hard to remember names like Park Kyung-chul and Yoo Jae-won.

*The old spare tire could use some work, too. More judo and hockey and less beer and pizza.

*I'd also like to be a better Dad. Got a 16-month old son and a girl due in 3 weeks. I want them to say that I was a good guy later on.

Squire

void

Mar 9, 2003, 01:16 AM

16 inches...

charboneau

Mar 9, 2003, 03:12 AM

Better musical ability

iWantAMac

Mar 9, 2003, 06:14 AM

Charboneau, what do you do musically?

Originally posted by vjv
16 inches...
Well that's just greedy. ;)

iMook

Mar 9, 2003, 06:42 PM

I want to:

not have to sleep.
have a Ring of +12 Chick Magnetism (haha... been playing NWN, so yeah)
have a VERY good memory
be fluent in French, German, Italian, and the African clicking tongue
get into an Ivy League school.
learn how to windmill and do aerials. (i dun wanna learn how to ACTUALLY kick butt, i have too little self-control for that to be safe:p)

and finally...

telekinesis (or psychokinesis, whatever you wanna call it) :D :D

P.S. - and be able to memorize pieces with mad speed (FYI classical piano)