Seeing and Observing

I'm a big fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories and I have been since I was a kid. He was such an intelligent character, nothing got by him. It was from Holmes that I got the idea of always trying not to see, but to observe. I am a bookworm, always have been. Its exposed me to ideas and concepts I wouldn't have come across otherwise. I think it's trained me to tell what people are thinking and what they may be up to. Holmes had a way with detail in the stories. The slightest detail could help him crack the case. I am by no means any kind of detective but if I'm paying attention, it's hard to slip something by me. My particular type of intelligence is driven by interest (or self-interest). If I'm interested or it's something that holds some kind of curiosity for me, then my ability to notice the little things increases exponentially. I'm a curious person when it comes to certain subjects but what really fascinates me is why people say and do the things they do. There's no greater joy for me when I'm proven right about something that I only had suspicions about. It means my deductive faculty is getting stronger. I freely admit that I have low self-esteem. One of the few things that gives me a real sense of pride in myself and my abilities is my belief in my intelligence. I realize that there are many, many people out there who are smarter than me in many different areas but I do believe that, overall, I'm smarter. I'm not trying to sound arrogant about whatever abilities I have, it's what I personally need to believe in order to get through the day. Some people need their delusions, whatever they are, to make it through the day and this is mine.