Big mistake at the county fair demo - how I almost lost two fingers

I was doing a live breakdown at the Johnson County Fair last August, showing folks how to break down a hog. Had this new crowd watching, kids up front, the whole thing. Got in a hurry cutting through the shoulder and my knife slipped right off the bone. Took a chunk out of my thumb, blood everywhere, demo over. The old timer who runs the sausage stand next to me said I was rushing because I was showing off. He was right. Now I force myself to slow down even when people are watching, no matter how many eyes are on me. Has anyone else caught themselves getting sloppy in front of a crowd?

3 comments

3 Comments

alicer5314d ago

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I tell every apprentice the same thing: the minute you start worrying about what the crowd thinks, you're gonna mess up. Learned that the hard way framing a deck with my father in law watching. He didn't say a word but I could feel him judging every swing. Missed the nail, bent it, felt like a kid again. Now I just pick a pace and stick to it whether it's me and the dog or a whole bleacher full of people.

charles83614d ago

Man I feel this one deep. I was helping my nephew change a tire in his driveway on a Saturday and a couple neighbors walked over to chat. Got to showing off how fast I could pop the lug nuts off with the impact wrench and next thing I know I stripped two of them clean. Had to drill the studs out and replace them right there in front of everybody. Felt like a total fool. That rush to look good in front of people gets you every time. Now I just tell folks I'm old and slow when they watch me work.

corah7514d ago

Oh man, I did the exact same thing showing off changing a battery and stripped the terminal bolt clean off!