Aspie Confidence in Problem Solving

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Is anyone else like this?

When someone says, "It can't be done!", I straight away see that as a challenge. I have a huge amount of confidence in my problem solving skills. I tend to see things from a different angle to others and can see solutions where others can't (or at least, don't). I also have a persistence that would.. put... someone who has a lot of persistence to shame.

Even if the 'best minds' have failed to find a solution, (where most people would think "Well, if they can't solve it, I've got no chance!"), I see that as even more incentive/challenge to try to solve it.

In the past, I have come up with some of the most awesomely mind blowing solutions to problems because I seem to view things from a different perspective and approach problems from different angles to others. I love doing it too (unless it's about something I find really boring and don't care about)

A poem my mother used to recite to me when I was young was:

It Couldn’t Be Done
By Edgar Albert Guest
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

"it can't be done!" is equivalent to "no one can do it"

"no one can do it" is a 'universal quantification'

lawyers are told to watch for 'universal quantification', because they are likely wrong
(i.e. 'no one can do it' is a statement about every person on the planet, and it is unlikely
the one asserting this statement is aware of the capability of every person on the planet)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_quantification

Some people argue that "no one can change their sexual orientation".
Care to prove that statement wrong ?

for me it started with "he won't be able to do that" oh yeah? watch me.

That's right....Super Autistic Man!

You show 'em!

I'm not being sarcastic, by the way.

I can't begin to count the number of times I've been in that position. I've seen solutions to engineering problems that most NT's will never see. Of course, The biggest challenge is trying to convince an NT that your solution works.

I also think my problem solving skills are quite good. When I am faced with a software engineering problem, I usually do find a solution.

Lately I have realized that some solutions to problems are quite obvious to me, while others have more trouble finding these solutions.

But my confidence is not so great that I think I can solve any problem. Or that none is better than me at it. I just think problem solving is something that comes somewhat naturally to me. Which is why I am a software engineer.

Yeah, or convincing them your solution is better.

Usually, while the NegaTive people are sitting around telling themselves it won't work, I'm sitting there writing the code that will soon prove them wrong.
No-one at work doubts my ability to do anything when it comes to solving problems through coding now. I've proven them wrong too many times. They think I'm a genius. Weird, but a genius.

I think there are two aspects to the AspieGenius idea -

1. Aspies are not constrained by convention, and...
2. Therefore, Aspies are able to tolerate being alone and are willing to stand out from the crowd.

There is a common catchphrase in circulation "there's only one life - live it". This is usually said by people who have been lucky enough to achieve success in their chosen field.

For most people, the catchphrase should be "there's only one life - if you don't like it, that's just tough"