100

This is my one hundredth post. Let’s keep this short and sweet.

You have to follow through with the hobby you have always dreamed of. Give it a shot and see what happens. For a long time there has been that voice inside your head that told you to take on this new hobby. You always give it thought but make up any excuse up to postpone it. One day cannot come unless you take the first step today. Just make it happen. Look at it like this. You either do it, and you don’t enjoy it, but at least you tried. Or, you do it, you enjoy it, and you have a new-found hobby to help you escape from your daily grind. Is either option a bad outcome? Compare it with what you’re doing now.

I won’t lie to you and say it is easy. It’s going to be tough. The first couple of steps to any new attempt are a challenge. You’ve never done it, or you haven’t done it in forever. It’s change that won’t come easy, so you’ll have to feel uncomfortable for a bit. We, as humans, do not like being uncomfortable. We do everything in our power to avoid the feeling. But, you must welcome it. Some moments of discomfort will outweigh the long-term benefit of trying.

You won’t have a long track record at first so it will initially seem like the ceremonial first step was all for nothing. Patience is key. Just relax and wait it out. Stay the course, take it a day at a time, and eventually you’ll find your rhythm.

You will fail a lot in the beginning, and it’s OK. You should struggle in the early part. Welcome it. It will help you evolve, and not just in your hobby, but as an individual. You took on something new. A challenge. You dealt with the tough step of leaving the starting gate, improved yourself along the way, and opened yourself up to critical feedback. It’s amazing growth. Not just in the hobby itself, but in you as a person. You did something no one can take from you.

So, like one of my favorite writers once said,

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowline. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails“

–Mark Twain

Finally, another quote from my favorite dreamer, Walt Disney,

“All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them”

Listen to that voice in your head. Pursue your hobby goal. You won’t regret it.