Blind to the Feeling of Advancement

Recently I've been met with paired astonishment, me at them and them at me, when I under-indicated my skills in conversation. It doesn't matter what skill in question. Taijiquan, writing haikus, or software development. My perspective is that I'm a beginner, maybe advanced beginner if I'm being generous. Not impressive. Theirs is the opposite. I'm flabbergasted at the praise and they seemed…