Growing up, I was never the type of person that was naturally good at something. I always had to put in what felt like twice the effort as everybody else only to be half as good as them. Of course comparing yourself to people doesn’t make it any better, but I like to win and I hate feeling like a failure so I would get frustrated.
I would try a bunch of things from piano, to softball, to acting lessons and if I felt like I wasn’t good enough, I would quit. I felt like my friends made playing sports look easy, but whenever I tried I was never as good as them, even if I gave it my all. I eventually accepted the fact that I wasn’t one of those people that had natural talent, and if I wanted to do something I would just have to work really hard and not just expect to be good at something on the first try. But as I got older, I started to explore things that I enjoyed doing and that came easier to me, rather than trying to do what my friends were doing.
Eventually I found something that I was extremely passionate about, and something that I actually felt confident about my performance in. I realized that this passion I had wasn’t something that everyone could just instantly be good at, and for once, I was. I started getting amazing feedback from friends and family, and even people I didn’t know. People would tell me that they could never do what I do, and that’s when it hit me. I was finally good at something that not everyone else is, and I was good at something that required a natural talent in order to succeed.
Of course I’ve met people who are better than me at what I do, but if you haven’t accepted the fact that there is always going to be someone better than you, or greener grass, then you’re in for a wakeup call. But instead of letting that discourage me, I’ve decided to let that challenge me to keep pushing. If you haven’t found it yet, keep exploring different things, whether it’s golf, singing or even math. Because once you find that thing, it’s something that makes you thrilled to get up and do it each day, and if you’re lucky enough, you can make a career out of it. If you love what you do and you’re good at it, there is no better feeling.
However, whatever it is that you find, it still has to challenge you. If you’re not learning something new or challenging yourself, then you’re not growing and there’s no room to improve. With each time that I practice, I become a little bit better, and I grow a little bit more confident. So coming from a girl that would duck every time a soccer ball came near her, keep pushing and find what you’re passionate about and what makes you happy and embrace it. The moment I realized that I found what I’m good at and that I wanted to make a career out of it, is when I decided to start chasing my dreams.
