Things Everyone Thinks They Could Do

Let's face it, there are a bunch of things everyone thinks we could do.

[OK, let me jump in right now before I get a nasty comment -- or even a snarky one. When I say "Everyone" sometimes I mean "Everyone" but sometimes I mean "Most People" or "Many People" or "Some of Us including This Author." Bloggers, like teenagers, are allowed a little hyperbole, a modicum of exaggeration, a healthy dose of truth-stretching. So, having clarified that, I move on to the point...]

We are wrong.

What kinds of "things" am I talking about? I'll give a couple of examples, but I bet you will think of more.

Photographer - Look, I've taken some nice photos in my life. And I do appreciate people complimenting me on them. But I always remember three important things.

1. The objects of my photography are beautiful! I mean, seriously, is it possible to take a bad picture of Halfdome? OK, yes, it is, but the point is -- the nature photographs I take start with subjects that contain such inherent splendor, it's hard to take credit for the shot.
2. Cameras and software do so much these days. In the "old days" a photographer could not be matched by a novice because the gap between the capabilities of their equipment was vast. Not so any more.
3. I take thousands and thousands of shots. OK, in that regard, perhaps I am similar to some true photographers. But, even with a beautiful subject, I sometimes only get two of five shots that are worth showing anyone. This is especially true when my subjects are people. Digital cameras make it so easy to take many shots and select one. If I were really in the professional class, I think the average would be better.

Real photographers, true artists with a camera, see things I don't. They make the mundane interesting. They have skills with their camera that we ordinary mortals never will. I am a pretty good amateur. I am not a professional artist with a camera.

[Having said this, I am still more than happy to take compliments on my Favorite Foto Friday photos. I do have an ego that needs feeding. I know this.]

Referee - You know what I'm talking about. You watch a game on TV, or even worse, you go to a game in which your child is playing, and you can't believe how blind those officials are! [Some of my most embarrassing moments -- in retrospect -- are associated with basketball games I attended at which I was {ahem} louder than I should have been. I shudder at the thoughts.] But go ahead, try running up and down a basketball court, paying attention to 10 people and a ball and the rules and the boundary markers. You'll make a fool of yourself. Or put yourself on a field with 22 big guys, all of whom seem to be playing as if to block your view, and then call penalties, fumbles, in/out of bounds. I'm amazed anyone has thick enough skin to do this job, especially for as little as it pays in the amateur ranks.

CEO of a Big Company - OK, this is one job I don't think I can do, personally. But I hear so many people who think they could. A 24-hour/day, 52-week/year job, where your every decision affects hundreds, and often thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of people? And to get this job you had to work equally hard every year of your career leading to that point? You had better be passionate about your work, because your work is your life. You had better be sure of yourself in ways most of us can't comprehend. The fact that they get ultra-super-compensated might make it a job people wish they had, but it's not a job many people could actually do.

So, what other jobs or activities can you think of that fall into this category?