Praised for talent/knowledge you don't think highly of?

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Does it happen to you.
My mom keeps boasting to all her lady friends and relatives that I built a computer when I was 13 and knew how to set them up along with other devices seen as complex to them at age 6. My guidance counselor boast about how I helped pick out a Mac for him.

Everyone says I bake really good when I can't seem to taste what they're basically bouncing off the walls over. The autism research facility thought I was a genius by using my baking skills as a social magnet and to stop people from bullying me without having to tell an adult or use violence.

I also often get asked if I take acting classes, because apparently everyone thinks I'm good at acting especially my autism group. While I Was in a mental hospital for the last 2 weeks they had theater similar to what is done in autism group, after I acted for the first time, the guy in charge of theater immediately started picking me out for almost every acting scene. I keep being told I should be an actor when really I have too much anxiety for it like fear messing up because of the urge to stim or stuttering or not feeling comfortable with the body motion they want me to do.

Are you seen as a genius or praised for stuff you don't think highly off?

No.

When I was younger they used to call me Brainy Smurf. I don't know if that was warranted or not. It happened anyway.

Yes - before my church merged with other congregations in the area, I was often asked to be liturgist because I (apparently) have a really good speaking voice. And I ended up getting asked to do that far more than I really wanted to......partly because few others at church would step up and volunteer.

Yes, and this is a common ASD trait.

The biggest example I can think of was when I graduated from business school when I was 19 years old. I was congratulated and praised and told it was a pretty big deal and all that sort of stuff.. but I was just kinda like "meh, it's just something I did over the last couple years." I felt like I'd just kind of gone through the motions and that anyone could have done it had they bothered to show up every day. In hindsight, others were right.. starting business school at 17 and rattling off 130.5 credits in 2 years while being the student association's chair of business and health sciences was kind of a big deal of an accomplishment - I really didn't give myself the credit I deserved for it at the time.

And countless other examples.. I've tended not to think of myself as smart or special, but in my Aspie cynical nature, I've thought that others must be stupid if they think this <insert accomplishment/task/process> is a big deal. In my current much clearer headed state, I'm actually pretty good at a lot of things & don't give myself the credit I should for it.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

Maybe you should start thinking more highly of your skills.

My family tells me how well I speak & write, but I don't really agree.
They don't realize how much internal work it is for me to string words together.
I also think it may be family bias.

Where are you that your mental hospital has a theater? That's so cool!

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I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

I've always felt that way about my artistic abilities. It actually embarrasses and annoys me when people describe me as "talented" because I have seen people with genuine talent and I can't hold a candle to that. I have acquired some skill over the years because I love doing it, but it has never just flowed out of my hands like some artists I have known and observed. What they can whip out effortlessly in seconds, I have to labor and slave over for hours and I'm rarely satisfied with it even then.

And it isn't just that I'm being a perfectionist, it's that I know what the standard for excellence is and it's a struggle for me to hit that mark. People with no comprehension of that standard are easily satisfied with 2nd or even 3rd rate work, but I am not.

I do know what you mean. When people repeatedly compliment you about some skill you have, sometimes it seems as if they insist you should do more of it, when your real priorities lie with other talents. It's frustrating to explain to others, but the reality is that no human being could actually pursue everything they might potentially be good at doing.

I do find it embarrassing to receive compliments, because I can't figure out if it is genuine or if the person just wants me to feel better about myself. I especially feel this way when they are complimenting me on something I don't feel is a particularly remarkable accomplishment.

One of my friends is a very successful painter. He says that the paintings he really likes and thinks are his best work are usually the ones which take the longest to sell, while the paintings he came close to discarding frequently receive high praise and sell quickly. I think sometimes the things it is hard to understand what people see in us and appreciate about us. But the important thing is recognizing that we are appreciated and admired--even if not for the things we admire most about ourselves.

In school I got a lot of praise for my writing ability, and people thought I should make a career out of it. I didn't want to be a writer, but no one cared if I enjoyed doing it or if it made me happy. They just thought you're good at it = you should do more of it.

When it comes to my knowledge of electrical engineering. I get huge praises for it. Even people who have masters degrees and Ph D's in the field are blown away at what I know and do. But the funny thing about it is. I never really put much of a value on it. To me. It feels like if I can do it why can't everyone else to it. It's just a God given talent that I take for granite. I am just naturally good at it. I never had to work or study for it so I can't really appreciate the value of it.

Oh yea, I used to get both praised and criticized for reading at a college level in middle school for instance. But it seemed like no big deal to me, and they criticized me because if I could do that why can't you even do simple stuff?(the simple stuff was hard to me).

I've also experienced where people think something I've done is amazing, but it didn't seem so amazing to me. But it did to them, I think it was really that I just was naive enough to take a rare path.

As an example a woman in immigration told me it had been so long since she had someone do the specific thing I did, and how did I even know it was available? Who told me? I told her I read the immigration and naturalization law and found out it was possible that way. Her response "you read the text of the law?!" And I was like sure what is the big deal?

I was too naive to realize what she was getting at, I just know I need to do something and find my own way.

I see this phenomenon as a "grass is greener" type of situation.

A guy who doesn't understand computers might envy your grasp of technology, but he doesn't realize that your "gift" comes with a trade-off...the INABILITY to do many things he takes for granted.

Would YOU want to be smarter than Stephen Hawking if it meant being confined to an iron lung for the rest of your life? It's easy to say you want to be as smart or famous as Stephen Hawking, but what if you had to give something up in order to have it? How much would you sacrifice for what you want?

I would gladly have never been smart enough to go past high school in exchange for having the ability to interact well with others...make friends...build a life...etc. All my "smarts" hasn't done a single thing for me because my "gifts" are outweighed by my liabilities. People don't look at the whole package...they just marvel at the thing you have which they find lacking.

It's similar to the tortoise and the hare. The hare was faster and a more sure bet to win, but his inability to focus on the race is why the tortoise easily won. Being "gifted" isn't always the blessing it appears to be.

Some people seem to appreciate my drawing and translating skills.
I see them just as means to get money in the future when I'll be out of school.
Also it's not like they make it any less harder.
I mean, what are drawing and translating for when you are socially and emotionally f***ed up?
Skmetimes I wish I was able to plan, control rage and anxiety and focus on stuff instead. But hehe not everything in life goes the way we want it to go
A thing I like a lot about myself is my great sense of humor but most people do not appreciate it.
A thing that both me and other people appreciate about me is my determination when I really am interested in something. My determination means a lot to me.

I remember getting praise for things and feeling like what I did was nothing special. Like nothing I do ever counts for anything.

My mind is focused so much on all the things I have trouble with any compliment brings up this
"are they trying to make me feel better?, do they want something from me? or are they just being condescending?"