Try New Things: A Short Message

Since childhood, we have all been told to try new things. Our parents would say, “how do you know that you don’t like it, unless you try it,” to get us to eat our vegetables. However, this is a great life mindset as well! Trying new things, allows us to gain more knowledge about it and ourselves.

How do you know that you aren’t a good singer unless you take lessons? How do you know you aren’t creative unless you picked up sewing, art, music or flower arranging? Now I’m not saying that you should let other people peer pressure you into something you don’t want to do, but what I am saying is that you should try all the things you’ve always wanted to do whether you think you would be good at them or not. Think about it! Did you ever want to do dance classes or learn how to quilt? Give it a try!

There are some people who say that I am talented and there are others who say that I have way too many hobbies. In all honesty, I just love to learn. When I picked up archery, it helped me to improve my upper body strength and to calm my breath as I let the arrow fly. It has been very helpful with my anxiety as well.

When I picked up art, I realized that I had a good eye for color, texture and shading. Much like Archery, this has been very helpful for my anxiety. And when I picked up martial arts, I realized that I had fast reflexes and could quickly block a punch and was flexible enough to kick someone’s head, if needed. The skills I have gained from martial arts has given me more confidence to go out to public places.

All these hobbies have helped me to feel strong and confident. I am not a master in these hobbies by any means, but I enjoy the knowledge and the abilities they have given me. Music, for instance, has always helped me with my feelings of depression and anxiety for years, especially in High School. It was my outlet whenever I was feeling sad, angry, confused, alone and even happy. I couldn’t have gotten through those teenage years without it.

My friends, you don’t need to be perfect or a master to enjoy new hobbies. You don’t need to go out for American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance or America’s Got Talent. You don’t have to make it your life career or a side hustle. Allow yourself to try new things and have new experiences! Growing your knowledge is an amazing confidence booster and it just may help with other parts of your life such as anxiety, depression, inspiration, life direction or the need for creativity. You never know how these things may benefit you until you try them out!