What is something you realized you could do?

[SandandWaves]

[abc3643]

Teach. I came to realize this in the Fall of 1987 when I was basically coerced into giving a 1.5 hour review session in Introduction to Automatic Control while my advisor was out of town. This class has a few dozen juniors or seniors and I had tremendous fear of public speaking. However, I remembered something my high school physics teacher said about public speaking and that helped. I also on-the-spot subconsciously began doing a back-and-forth with the class. I didn't realize it at the time - not until my 50s - I was using the Socratic Method which I've always found to work well with STEM subjects. After that class, I felt like Jimmy Swaggart, the TV preacher. I volunteered to do another one right after that.

My advisor got sick in Spring 1988 and I ended up teaching about 40% of that class. My teacher ratings were so high, they were higher than my advisor's and he was good and popular. He was not thrilled with this because he was up for tenure and eventually didn't get it in 1992. I am probably a significant reason for that; I was a shitty research assistant graduate student but an excellent teaching assistant. That was really my calling but RPI only held out TA slots for new grad students. Had I been allowed solely to be a TA, I would have completed my PhD and been much happier.

Anyway, I know I can teach anyone except my wife who is not good with instruction; she has to learn on her own through the School of Hard Knocks.

[paledreams]

Wow Steve Martin, sure haven't seen that one before - 😔😂
Hmm anyways, I realised sometime ago that, I'm much happier, if I appreciate daydreaming

[slatyb]

After divorcing and starting dating, I realized that I was charming to women. I had no idea.

[call_me_scar]

I can shake my eyes, and bend the top of my fingers