I’ve always been amazed by the people who, at an early age, know exactly what career path they want to take. I’ve known two such people and they are both famous now as adults. It always makes me wonder where I’d be in my career if I’d known with absolute certainty as a child that I wanted to be a writer.
The truth is it takes most of us awhile to figure out what we want to do with our lives. Plus, I’ve come to the conclusion that we sometimes don’t discover our talents until we’re ready for them. For instance, I just started to knit last October. Knitting is something I would never, ever in my wildest dreams have thought I’d do. It’s kind of funny that I felt that way because much to my surprise I’ve got a knack for it. The same goes for writing. I was cool with nonfiction writing but I never thought I’d be able to write fiction. Then one day I tried again for the umpteenth time and something shifted. I was able to do it.
It might sound far-fetched but writing and knitting have me convinced that the old adage—you never know what you can do until you try–is actually very true. So I’m making a concerted effort to try more new things. I think it’s easy to get stuck in what’s known and comfortable. Still, if we never venture outside our comfort zones we may miss out on discovering other hidden talents.
What about you? Have you tried something new lately? Do you have a hidden talent you only recently discovered? I’d love to hear about it.
Photo Credit: kretyen
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Since I was a toddler I’ve always wanted to be an artist. When I was four, my family moved into a new trailer park community and as the new owners of a single-wide each of us kids were given one gift by management. I was given a watercolor set. That set the stage for my interest in art and color for many years to come.
To this day, I still love taking out my canvases, paintbrushes and paint and painting. I love the way the paint swirls on the canvas and the immediate emotional response evoked by a finished peice of fine art. Then, when I was teenager living with a family in Indiana I recieved a film camera for the first time. However, it wasnt until I recently that I discovered my passion and love for photography.
Over the last few months, I have seen a dramatic increase in quality in the photos that I shoot. Last week, as you know, I opened shop on Etsy to sell my prints and some postcards of my work I had made. You can find them here: http://www.screweduptexan.etsy.com. I love photography so much now, that I think for the first time in my life that I actually love it more than painting. And here I am in a comment actually admitting that. Wow.
Love your writing! Keep it up!
Allie
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Allie,
I’m always so happy when you stop by! It’s interesting that you always knew you wanted to be an artist–that’s so cool. However, I love how that idea has evolved and changed. I love your photography work, it’s beautiful.
Love this post – I agree that by trying you learn much more about your abilities than just guessing. I’m good at a lot in my head, but in real life? Not so much
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Hey Rebecca,
How often do we even think of trying new things, right? Sometimes it looks like it’s more work than it’s worth. I love what you said about being good at things in your head. In my head I think I’m Sydney from Alias—so not even close in real life:D. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it!
Well, I’ve known since I was a kid that I wanted to write, so you can put that on the not-yet-famous side of the list.
Exercising is something I started late. I can’t say that I’m good at it, or even–truly–that I like it. But it has become necessary to me in a way I never thought possible. Does that count?
And could it ever become true for liking vegetables?
Hi Becky,
Well, did you like writing or did you know it’s what you wanted to do as a career? I think of exercise as a necessary evil. I’m not sure if that counts as a talent. Although if you found out you were secretly a really talented marathon runner or something that would definitely count–HA. Always glad to see you here!
As a child, I absolutely knew that I wanted to write as a career. When I got older and things like reality (income) and uncertainties (about talent) and reality (about current level of skill) set in, I veered off that path. Now, hopefully, I’m back on it.
Becky Levine’s last blog post..Matilda Butler’s Interview with Me
I can’t agree enough that you don’t know until you try — and that it’s taken me a long time to figure out I *can* try things! Just like you, I just imagined this or that was out of my league. Is this one of the fruits of age? I wonder.
Anyway. About 8 months ago I started weightlifting, and I feel as though I’ve discovered a whole new world and an old friend at the same time. Now, if you had told me two years ago that at age 44 I would fall in love with powerlifting, I’d never have believed you. Now I’m planning to compete in October!
Life’s funny that way.
I can’t wait to hear how the brioche stitch turned out…
So good to read you here, I always enjoy your thoughts, posts and collected images.
Hi Lisa,
Right back at you! I know exactly what you mean. Wow, it’s amazing that you are going to compete in powerlifting. That’s awesome. I definitely want to know what happens.
I didn’t try the brioche stitch yet. I chickened out just a bit. However, in my defense I was taking on a lot all at once. I still have the pattern and the yarn and will get back to it. Right now I’m working on a cardigan hoodie. It will be my first adult sweater and it’s top down.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
I’m cooking more now, with fresh foods. I like it and feel better about what I eat. Other than that, writing is what feeds my soul.
Edie,
Sounds like the perfect combination: good food for the body and good writing for the soul!
Nice to come across your post, Mary-Frances!
I’ve always felt I had a knack for writing.. Still, neither I was among the few blessed ones who know what they want to do since adolescence. So, having been caught up in boring IT studies (now on my master degree), I have decided to take the slow lane with IT, that I actually have never been fond of, and give myself the opportunity to explore my other talents, like writing (at the moment i’m so into writing a comedy series screenplay), language learning and so on…
I might have known I was good at stuff like that, but not letting myself indulge into it and dedicate time into taking it serously and making something good of it, has been something like “killing” my talents or, at best, suspending them!
Nice to see there are people out there like you who “would venture out of their comfort zones” in order to find their own path of happiness. I wouldn’t say success, because it sounds too ambition-driven, but rather happiness and feeling of completeness.
All the best to you and everybody!
Ted, from Greece