In today’s day and age, for me at least, when I start a new hobby or try something new, I feel I have to be good at it or need to work towards a career with it. Recently, I’ve come to realise, more and more, that this kind of thinking is not beneficial. In the past, it has stopped me from doing a number of things simply because I questioned if I would be good at it. But guess what? You don’t have to be good at it!
Throughout secondary school, I was very active in the arts groups, namely music and choir. I devoted any minute I could to learning this and trying to be the best at it. More or less, it paid off. I got decent grades and, in my final year, I made it into one of the choirs that I had been auditioning for since I first started secondary school. However, I was so set on being and working towards the best. I loved music and being so involved in it, but striving to be the best prevented me from fully embracing it and enjoying it.
Now, I’m not saying to not strive to be your best, but that being the main, driving goal can take some of the freedom and fun out of it. Looking back on it, I’m proud of where I got to in terms of music - when I first started learning, I had zero prior musical knowledge, aside from the Top 50 list! I managed to keep up with my peers and partake in an accelerated class.
Since leaving school, I’ve continued with music. However, I now do it because it makes me happy, not because I’m trying to prove anything. As well as this, I have also tried new things - and failed. I enjoy dancing. Am I good at it? No way! But I enjoy it, so I will often have mini dance parties in my room when I feel like it.
You might try something, and think “NEVER. AGAIN.” That’s totally fine and absolutely valid! Everyone has different likes and dislikes. Try something new, something you would never have thought of before. For me, I’ve recently started learning (attempted at least) about Kintsugi, the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold. Am I going to be good at this? Who knows. But I thought it sounded like a beautiful form of art, and wanted to give it a go.
Doing something because YOU enjoy it is so important. You don’t have to be good at it. Whether you enjoy gardening, pottery, painting, sports, or whatever, sometimes just doing something that just brings you joy can help your mental health. Don’t listen to that little voice that tells you, “you suck at this.” If it makes you happy, that’s all that matters.
-Claudia
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