Lessons Learned from Unexpected Places

[Frezzato]

I'm a huge fan of the channel Tested [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOA], which stars (mostly) Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame.

For the uninitiated, there are tons of episodes showcasing Adam's home workshop and the various projects he's worked/working on and mostly you get a glimpse of the things he builds from start to finish. Now, I'm not trying to diminish the work that the other two guys do, I mean, I think it's their channel after all, but on Tested you get this unprecedented view into the genius problem solving that Adam Savage does and it suddenly struck me after several years of viewing that the one thing which Adam does, above and beyond all other activities, is he finishes what he starts.

Finish what you start.

I have taken this to heart. And I wonder now, what lessons have you guys learned from YouTube or gaming or anything over the years? Bear in mind that Adam has never said 'finish what you start', he just does it. He's presented with a problem, gets an idea, formulates a plan and he fucking follows through. I have so much to learn from that mentality and I suspect I'm not alone.

So tell me, what have you learned, positive or negative, over the years from the most unsuspected of places?

 

[Souplex]

I was watching TV when an anti-smoking commercial comes on. An overweight woman is hooked up to all manner of apparatuses.
My mother walks in.
Mama 'Plex: "If someone is overweight and smokes they probably have an oral fixation."
Motherly advice.

 

[Headsprouter]

Video Games and the Internet made me realise what is most important to me in life.

Noting my weakness or cosmetics, role playing and personal image in games and the internet, to the point where I will disadvantage myself in favour of what looks cooler to me, or what fits my desired image or theme online (to a reasonable extent, i'll easily drop it in favour of being a team player, I'm not THAT vain...) I realised my one true desire. To express myself creatively.

I just want to be able to make things that satisfy myself. If I can make a living off it and make other people happy through it too, that's a bonus. I just need the skills first. Nobody will respect creative expression through painting by numbers, which is basically all I can do at the minute.

I'd write a book, but that wouldn't satisfy me. Even though I'm not as strong in them at the minute, I want to do some kind of visual art. Especially animation, the 3D kind because I'm inconsistent at drawing stuff at best.

I'm gushing here. Making characters in open world RPGs and dressing them up in nice clothes, arming them with cool weapons, giving them unique builds and making up backstories for them can only satisfy me for so long.

I don't know...am I being self-important? Narcissistic? Asking too much from life? Is every other person in a dead-end job the same as me? Did they all just give up and succumb to reality as I eventually will?

TL;DR: Learned I wanted to make cool shit from my imagination, cue existential crisis, self doubt and sonder.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I don't know if you'd say I've "learnt" from it, but there's this part from OOTS (spoilers in this comic):
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0491.html

There's a line about "the best of his ability, including the ability to know what was best". The limitations on knowing what to do are as great as the limitations on what you can do, and failing due to the limits of the first is no different than failing due to the limits of the second.

 

[sageoftruth]

About a year ago, I joined a new chorus. It was less professional than my original chorus and more community-oriented. Less rehearsing and more discussion and getting to know each other. I was in the middle of writing some fiction as a hobby, but I lacked the confidence to share it with anyone. However, the chorus leader lived near me, so I always drove her home after rehearsal.
We'd get chatty during the car rides and I found myself sharing the premises of my writing with her. She was very impressed by my premises, and eventually I offered to bring in copies of some of my writing for her and the other members of the chorus.
When I shared it with them, their positive feedback was very empowering. I started sharing it with more and more people and I realized I actually had a knack as well as a passion for writing. So, basically, I learned from joining a chorus that I wanted to write for others and not just myself.