One thing I hate about job interviews is the part where they ask you, "what is your greatest strength, and what is your greatest weakness". While part of you wants to be completely honest, you end up giving an answer that is geared towards what you think they want to hear. "My greatest weakness is that I can be a perfectionist, I like to pay a lot of attention to detail". Bullshit. If that were my greatest weakness I'd be a Saint! When I started to write this post, I took the same approach - how can I write a list of the things I'm terrible at, without making myself sound bad?
Well I'm throwing that plan out the window and writing a list without worrying about being judged. I guess that leads into the first item on my list of "What I'm Rubbish At" for this week's Monday Listicles meme...
1) I'm terrible at doing things without worrying about what others will think of me. I'm insecure. I'm constantly wondering if I will be judged, if people will make fun of the decisions I make.
2) I'm terrible at watching what I eat. While I'm wonderful at ensuring that my children eat healthy well-balanced meals, I cheat myself and stuff my face with fatty cheeses and breads, poutines and butter-drenched popcorn. I can't help it, I love food - especially the kind that isn't the best for my body. I have literally made a healthy dinner for my kids, and then had pizza when they've gone to bed.
3) As much as I want to be more environmentally friendly, I'm terrible at recycling (I promise this is one fault that I'm devoted to working on). Sometimes it's just easier to toss something into the trash. I do recycle, but it's something I need to improve on. Ironically, I've been approached to write a few (paid) posts on how to teach your children to live green - and I've committed to this task, mostly because I think that it will force me to do a better job of it myself.
4) I throw like a girl (and not in the "women can be exceptional athletes so this can be taken as a compliment" kind of way). I grew up as a dancer. All of my extra-curricular time was packed with ballet, jazz and tap dance classes. I didn't learn how to throw a baseball or dribble a basketball or kick a soccer ball across a field. I regret this in my adult years and hope that my children will learn the necessary skills to thrive in various sports settings.
5) I can't bake to save my life. I can cook a mean dinner, and I can work a bbq like no other woman I know. But baking cookies, creating masterful birthday cakes, and cooling a freshly-baked loaf are not on my list of skills. I blame this on my mom who is the best baker in the world.
6) Although I'm quite the chatterbox, I'm terrible at making phone calls. This is partly because calling someone makes me nervous - Will they be busy? Will there be an awkward silence? I've become so used to communicating in person or through emails, that the phone conversation scenario for some reason freaks me out!
7) I'm rubbish at being patient. When my dogs barks one too many times, I snap. When a driver goes below the speed limit in front of me and then changes lanes without signalling, I blow. And when my children constantly repeat the same word over and over and over again, my head spins.
8) I don't exercise. I'm surrounded by runners and athletes (heck I work for a professional sports team with a staff full of fit people), yet I despise structured exercise. I love being outdoors, I even go for long walks with the family every weekend. But ask me to go to the gym, or to join you for a run, and I'm out.
9) I'm a very tidy person, in fact many people would say that I keep a very clean home, but the truth is, I'm terrible at keeping up with the deep cleaning. I'm the kind of person who will tuck away the mess in a hallway closet, or in a storage closet in the basement, and worry about it later (out of sight, out of mind, right?).
10) I'm stubborn as a mule. I don't like to admit when I'm wrong (especially when I'm arguing with my husband). And when I AM right, I won't just let it go. It has to be known. I'm that person who keeps every single email from work, and when someone tries to throw me under the bus for something that has gone wrong, out comes the incriminating email that proves my innocence.
What are you rubbish at? Make a list and join in on the fun!
I throw like a girl too, and I'm not a phone talker. Impatient. Stubborn. Are you sure we're not related? :)
ReplyDeleteI throw like a girl too but man can I yabber on the telephone! (-:
ReplyDeleteI love your list and I kind of prefer people who aren't great at deep cleaning and/or watching what they eat so you're cool on my list. (-:
You must have excellent metabolism genes, what with all the eating and not exercising but somehow always looking svelte and fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI will not admit to throwing like a girl, though the Hubs tells me I do. I can bake, but I do hate to talk on the phone. And sadly, I identify very strongly with number one, as well.
Love your list. You had me at Number 1. That is me to to a T. As for #5, we should get together. I am quite a good baker, but really hate cooking dinners and BBQing is a boy job at my house. I can whip up a batch of cookies or a cake in the blink of an eye, but ask me to whip up dinner and you are likely to get rice a roni. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is not exactly from scratch.
ReplyDeleteHaha I'm always appearing tidy because I stick things in places where no one else will see it. Ahem.
ReplyDeleteI am so with you on #2 and talking on the phone makes me really nervous as well! I used to really hate it but I'm trying to come out of that now. Awesome list!
ReplyDeleteOh I love you for saying you are rubbish at excercicsing and watching what you eat. Such a French thing to say!
ReplyDeleteI am great at baking. S between your mad cooking skills and my desserts I think we got it covered :)
I'm with you on the road rage!
ReplyDeleteGetting outside for long walks with your family sounds perfect! It also sounds better than a gym. Also...I don't throw like a girl. But I can't do all the fancy dancing you can do. So, I guess we're even.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you about the junk food eating and non exercising...but my 2 year old keeps yammering something about "want breakfast" over and over and over again, and my head is spinning.....or I might just be too impatient and/or stubborn to admit it.
ReplyDeleteI bake, pretty well actually - but I've never been able to make bread. I've given up, some things just aren't worth the effort.
ReplyDelete1, 2 and 10! If we could marry our lists you could keep things tidy and i could deep clean, although I would probably hire someone, hope that's ok! As for the phone, I am not sure when it happened, but I don't enjoy talking on the phone...which is kind of problem because I don't really enjoy email either...oh jeez, I think I am becoming a hermit:)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you made a list without worry about being judged. I loved your list, and don't think any less of you!
ReplyDelete6,7,8 and especially 10. Right there with you.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I HATE making phone calls too! It isn't because I'm scared, I just genuinely hate talking on the phone... :-)
ReplyDeleteSeems that being bad at taking calls is a common thing for people to be bad at.
ReplyDeleteI'm so stubborn too! Actually in the middle of a disagreement with my husband now over letters being painted in my sons room Oh and I am right :) You have a great list! And I wish I could work a BBQ!
ReplyDeleteI don't recycle either! I probably should though. I think being green is in nowadays... And my husband always says I'm pretty stubborn. Whatever. He doesn't know what he's saying. I'm just always right, that's all. ;)
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