A Lesson I Wish I Had Learned Earlier in Life

There are many lessons that I wish I had learned earlier in life, like eating healthy, exercising a lot, etc., but there is one that really sticks out to me that I want to share with you in this post.

I wish that I had learned earlier in life that you can be yourself and do what you want.

I wished I had learned this because so many of my decisions were based on others’ opinions (which wasn’t always bad, that’s how I started swimming). But, there were many things I decided not to do because people thought it was “weird”. For one, I love cooking, which stereo typically is meant for women. However, this is just peoples’ opinions; there is no law saying that men can’t love to cook. I also love to run a lot, but sometimes people tell me I do it too much. Now I understand that people can’t tell me what to do, unless it’s the law. The thing that truly matters in life is your passion, and don’t let anyone get in the way of that.

It’s also perfectly acceptable to stop doings things that you don’t want to do. If you don’t like a book you’re reading because you find it boring and hard to read, put it down and read a new one. You can’t read every single book that’s ever been written, so why read one you don’t like? I’ve had some personal examples of this as well: I don’t do track because I don’t like the meets and it’s not enough running for me, and I don’t shoot trap anymore because I don’t like the loud noises or the thought of shooting a bird. Take a look at your life, and see if there’s anything you could go without. Quitting things you don’t like doing frees up more time for the stuff you DO like doing.

I just wish that when I was younger I had done more of the things I loved to do, not worrying about what anyone else thought. I could’ve saved so much time, been better at the things I loved, and I could’ve been happier. But, it’s better not to think about the past, and instead focus on the present. Think about what you’re doing now, and see if there’s anything you’d like to change. Who knows, maybe you could find your new passion if you stop caring about what others think and quit the things that you don’t like doing.