Keep On, Keepin’ On
Some things just don’t work out.
Photo by Ashley Ritter
The best feeling in the world is when I find something I absolutely love, especially a hobby. The butterflies you get, the over-excitement and just pure happiness about trying something new is exhilarating. The problem is I can’t stick with it.
When I was growing up I was involved in a ton of activities like karate, soccer, tennis, art, music and so many more. My parents wanted to me try out as many new things as possible and I did. I quit half of those things soon after I started.
Karate was thrilling. I don’t know if it was all the kicking and punching or the fact that I loved wearing the outfit with the belt, but I always felt energized in class. I felt like a ninja who was ready to go into battle every Tuesday night in the studio. After each class, I would go back home and start kicking and punching the air, trying to impress my family with how fast and strong I was. I loved it, but eventually, that feeling went away. I hung up my orange belt and never went back.
Then there was soccer. This was my sport, I was eight years old, I was ready to go out and play. I used to zoom down the field and I would kick the ball as hard as I could. I loved it but then one day I remember seeing that American Girl Doll movie “Makenna Shoots for the Stars”. It’s about a gymnast and after that moment I wanted to be in the Olympics. I said ‘I want to do gymnastics now, forget soccer.’
Each activity, from tennis to art, all ended up the same. I left them in the dust. It wasn’t because I had bad experiences, it was my short attention span I have had so many phases where I told myself I’m going to stick with something and be great at it.
Despite this, I have found activities that I loved and stuck with. With karate and soccer, I didn’t have the passion for it. I never had a meaningful connection to the two activities. On the other hand newspaper, I found connections and people who made me want to stay. I stuck with the orchestra because I found something I was passionate about and wanted to do well in.
Sometimes there will be things I enjoy but might end up dropping. Enjoying something isn’t the same as being passionate about something. I didn’t leave karate or soccer because I hated it, I just didn’t feel connected to it.
