This article seems useful

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I can see why Cracked writers, and Wong in particular, are magnets for the "poor me I'm just trying to do my thing how come it never works out" type.  What those people don't get, and what this article points out beautifully, is that in spite of all their self deprecating humor, the writers for the site are considered good enough at what they do to get paid to do it, if not make a living from it entirely.

Yeah. And, as he points out, not because they're somehow magically just "gifted" with writing skills. People may have a higher level of aptitude for some things, but skills aren't gifted, they're learned. Through work and practice.

I often point out to new glassworkers that I did not start out particularly good at beadmaking. I didn't have a natural aptitude at all. I took to it like a duck to water, assuming the duck has no legs. But I really loved doing it, so I worked and worked and worked and practiced so much that I got really, really good at it. And I'm STILL not as good at certain aspects of it as others who have been doing it for a fraction of the time, but I'm good enough. And I have an encyclopedic knowledge of glass chemistry and reactions, and can 99% of the time tell by looking exactly how something was made... that's from studying.

People don't like to hear that. People want to think that skills just get handed out, and one day maybe they'll wake up and find out that they're just naturally really good at something.

Doesn't happen.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I love this!

It reminds me a lot of The Man Who Fell In Love With The Moon... everyone has a story they tell about themselves, but what really matters, who we really are to others, is in what we DO.

Yep.  It falls in with my definition of a Bad Person.  Which is, of course, a person who does bad things.

Yes.

I cannot judge people on what's inside; I am not a surgeon.

I can and do judge them first by their actions, then by the company they keep.

That's what I tell my kids about turning in their homework... sure, THEY may know they have achieved a skill, but since the teachers can't read minds the homework is all they have to go on.

Applies to everything in life. What you actually show people is all they have to go on.

[Sita]

Great, now I'm crying and depressed.
Always nice to be reminded how worthless I am.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Great, now I'm crying and depressed.
Always nice to be reminded how worthless I am.

What?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Like I said, I judge people on their actions and so far as I've seen, Sita, you've never done anyone any wrong.

[Sita]

Great, now I'm crying and depressed.
Always nice to be reminded how worthless I am.

What?

The article pretty much says as much about me.
I knew I shouldn't have read it. These type of things always make me depressed (or even more so than I usually am).

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Great, now I'm crying and depressed.
Always nice to be reminded how worthless I am.

What?

The article pretty much says as much about me.
I knew I shouldn't have read it. These type of things always make me depressed (or even more so than I usually am).

Who are you gonna believe?  Some article, or your Holy Man™ and spiritual advisor?

[LMNO]

I'm pretty sure most people here could list off five things they DO, rather than ARE.

Musician
Music Engineer (two different skill sets -- it counts)
Cook
Writer
Attentive Husband

If you notice, none of these actually make me money.  It's about the mindset, really.

[Sita]

Thanks.

But there has to be something to it. I've run across the same thing too many times in my life.
Then again if I were to believe everything I've run across I would have to believe myself to be a manic depressive, unfeeling, anti-social, ADD riddled sociopath....so there's that

[LMNO]

Sita, do you really feel that you don't do anything, or do you just not feel that you're recognized for being who you are?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Thanks.

But there has to be something to it. I've run across the same thing too many times in my life.
Then again if I were to believe everything I've run across I would have to believe myself to be a manic depressive, unfeeling, anti-social, ADD riddled sociopath....so there's that

I can't see the article, so it's hard to tell what's bothering you...But the thing is, there's only a few values I judge people on:

1.  Do they treat people the way they want to be treated?
2.  Do they put effort into what it is that they do, or they just mailing it in?  Note that this doesn't mean you have to be the next DaVinci or run off and win a Nobel Prize, or even be the BEST at what you do, it just means that you give a fuck about whatever it is you DO (not necessarily what you do for a living).
3.  Do they make the same allowances for others that they'd ask for themselves?

And most importantly:

4.  Do they view people as PEOPLE, not as part of the furniture?  This doesn't mean you have to LIKE them (God knows I don't), but that you view them as real people.

[Sita]

Sita, do you really feel that you don't do anything, or do you just not feel that you're recognized for being who you are?

Unless chores around the house count? Because washing dishes, doing laundry, mopping and vacuuming don't seem to get done by anyone else (which makes the place look worse than a bachelor pad when I'm having an 'off' period). But in my mind that's not really doing anything.

[Sita]

2.  Do they put effort into what it is that they do, or they just mailing it in?  Note that this doesn't mean you have to be the next DaVinci or run off and win a Nobel Prize, or even be the BEST at what you do, it just means that you give a fuck about whatever it is you DO (not necessarily what you do for a living)

This is probably my worst thing. There is very little that I actually put more than the minimum effort into these days. Just doesn't seem worth it.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Sita, do you really feel that you don't do anything, or do you just not feel that you're recognized for being who you are?

Unless chores around the house count? Because washing dishes, doing laundry, mopping and vacuuming don't seem to get done by anyone else (which makes the place look worse than a bachelor pad when I'm having an 'off' period). But in my mind that's not really doing anything.

Oh, yeah?  What happens if nobody does those things?

Being a homemaker is a full time job.  It's fucking hard work.  I count myself lucky that all *I* have to do is work in a chemical plant, instead of picking up after a bunch of people that I'm not allowed to kill.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

2.  Do they put effort into what it is that they do, or they just mailing it in?  Note that this doesn't mean you have to be the next DaVinci or run off and win a Nobel Prize, or even be the BEST at what you do, it just means that you give a fuck about whatever it is you DO (not necessarily what you do for a living)

This is probably my worst thing. There is very little that I actually put more than the minimum effort into these days. Just doesn't seem worth it.

Nothing is worth it.  YOU have to assign the worth.  If nothing you're doing seems worthwhile, then find something that is.  You still have to do the rest of the shit, of course, but everyone should have something they do that makes them feel good.  CPD has her knitting/crochet stuff, Nigel shoots UFOs down with small caliber rifles, LMNO has his music, I write poison pen letters to random politicians and sometimes even to actual people, etc.

Life's too short to suffer through, if you know what I mean.  It's there to be enjoyed, at least part of the time. 

Tip:  Rage and hate are great ways to keep depression away.  At least it works for me.