Self Assessment; or, I’m cooler than I sometimes feel.

“I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one’s self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one’s own powers.” ~Sherlock Holmes, The Greek Interpreter

So, I just realized that I have spent the last several hours mentally cataloguing all of my shortcomings and personal pitfalls, so I’m going to spend a bit of time tooting my own horn. I don’t need to focus on the negative.

I’m a good writer. Yes, I think I can say that objectively. I have a firm grasp of the mechanics of the English language, my syntax and punctuation are usually close to flawless, and I refuse to publish anything less than a well-turned sentence, either in print or on the internet. Yes, I’m good at this. I think that if I had hurried up and gotten a move on earlier, I might have a moderate amount of success at this point. Unfortunately, self-confidence is not among my virtues.

I’m creative. I spend a damn lot of time fleshing out my characters, and people relate to them. I’m not sure why; I mean, some of them are complete asshats – the characters, I mean. I suppose they’re realistic asshats, though. Others are my babies, and it kills me to hurt them, but it has to be done. I put a lot of effort into the people I create, and more live in my head than will ever be put on paper.

And damnit, I’m a fair artist. Not exceptional, not even good, really, but I can sketch up my characters and get the point across.

I’m smart, too. I like acquiring knowledge, and I’ve acquired quite a bit of it. I like sharing that knowledge. If I can distribute facts through a vehicle of fiction, all the better. I love the research phase of writing, and I love classes, and I love university libraries. I learned to read and talk simultaneously, and I’ve consumed more books already than many people do in their entire lives. I’m conversant in quite a lot of subjects – from anthropology, in which I took my degree; to pedagogy, in which I’m working on another; to Sherlockiana and biblical archaeology and the chronology of Star Trek and Polish history.

I’ve got skills. I knit things, and I’m a black diamond skier, and I play the viola (sometimes, and not well, but I do play!), and I can make kickass pasta sauce and eggdrop soup and pierogi, and I can hit a bullseye at two hundred yards with any firearm that’s legal in the United States. I’ve got a green belt in Shotokan, and elementary grades in Israeli Krav Maga and Keysi Fighting Method. I can name every bone in the human body and translate Classical and Ecclesiastical Latin.

Damn, I’m awesome.

Yes, this is a bragging post. I am bragging. I am full of myself. After feeling like crap for most of the day, that’s a good thing. I feel better now.

Bloggers, I challenge you to write your own self assessment. If you’re feeling like crap, convince yourself that you’re damn awesome. Go. I will praise you.