I thought I Was So Clever

Just because you're good at one thing, doesn't mean you're good at another thing.

In college I was good at drinking beer. I drank beer eight or nine days a week.

I even drank beer at work. Granted, I was a bartender so it kind of made sense.

One slow Monday night, instead of drinking coffee mugs of Newcastle on tap, I switched it up and drank coffee mugs of jug burgundy wine.

My manager asked what I was drinking.

Coffee, I lied.

No you're not, you're drinking red wine.

I feigned offense. And thought, How the hell does she know that?

Red wine? I never drink red wine.

Well, you're drinking red wine now because your teeth are gray.

Damn!

I had no idea that drinking red wine turned your teeth gray. I figured drinking red wine was basically the same as drinking brown beer.

I thought I was so clever with my coffee mug full of dark liquid that passed for coffee.

No one would know I was doing anything wrong. No one would think I didn't know what I was doing. No one would see through my facade of competence.

But actually people totally knew I was doing something wrong. They absolutely thought I didn't know what I was doing. They clearly saw my incompetence.

People can see things about us that we can't see about ourselves.

So it's probably better to be humble and honest.