I'll admit, this post has been in my drafts ever since I started my blog. So today I decided it was time to change that.
I heard the name of the book "Do Hard Things: a Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations" mentioned a few times over the years, and was very curious to discover the story behind it. About 3 years ago, I finally got my hands on a copy, and I believe I finished it in about two days. (Which is very fast for me, ok?) It was a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it to anyone - especially teenagers - but I'm not actually here to give a review; rather, I'm here to show you how that book affected me, and how I can see the results of it in my life.
So let's take it back a bit.
Around age twelve or so, I was not a highly motivated young person. Sure, I was motivated to read Charles Dickens, and practice the piano maybe once a fortnight, but that was about it. School was mostly a painful process and my 'hobbies' were very limited.
Then one day, and I can't even tell you why, I decided to change that. It could have been a conversation I'd had with someone, it could have been the inspiration I gained from reading other people's blogs, or maybe it was even a prompting from the Holy Spirit, but at any rate, I decided I was not going to watch my life go by and let it go to waste.
I believe I was about fourteen when I decided to make the most of the time I had. Languages, learning extra in school, baking, cooking, photography, videography, plays and play writing, talking to older people, reading, writing, researching, trying new things, exercising, seizing every opportunity, organizing events, taking on responsibilities etc...
You could definitely say I'm a bit of an over-achiever, and perhaps I did get a bit excited. ;) But my point is, we get to choose how we spend today. There is nothing stopping you from learning more, from growing and living your life to the fullest extent. We can get paralyzed by the disappointment of our circumstances, the lack of opportunities we hoped for, the staleness of the everyday. Or we can take the fire and restlessness deep within our souls and make something out of it.
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I don't want to use this as a "look at me, aren't I amazing?" and nor do I want the extent of this post to simply advocate hobbies. I want people - especially teenagers, who are unhappy about where they are in life right now - to see this as hope and inspiration. Pray for wisdom, pray for patience, pray for diligence. Dare to be brave, to dream bigger, to do the unknown, and do it scared.
I would much rather look back on my life with no regrets, and have extra skills, many interests, an added level of knowledge, maturity, independence and preparation for the future, than have little to show. Replacing idleness or laziness with motivation and drive, we can do amazing things. It is not going to be easy, but we can do hard things. We can do great things.
What did this drive get me? Well, I completed grade 11 and 12 in 1.5 years, while also working at a café two days a week, and completing two certificates in Business. This was from the compilation of doing twice the amount of schoolwork every day from the age of 14 onwards, instead of puttering along at a comfortable pace. I learnt French, studied extra Latin and Italian, and began creating videos and working on editing. I began a fitness journey, a habit which has helped me stay healthy and fit for the past 7 years. I was cooking dinner for my family of 8 by age 10 (which, to be fair, was from my mother's urging and not my own, but I grew to enjoy it), so that by the age of 22, I have no concern about being given a recipe or a challenge in the kitchen.
I earnt enough money while completing school that I could buy my own car outright a year after I graduated. I was qualified to take on a receptionist position and later be offered the position of marketing coordinator because I had done blogging, website work and videography during my school years. I had decided I would take singing and dance lessons once I could afford to pay for it, and began taking private vocal lessons later on. Those lessons then helped me to pursue my passion of singing and musical theatre, assisted by my perseverance of practicing daily and being self-disciplined. I took dance classes once I could afford them, and continued teaching myself at home (YouTube is great, guys) how to tap dance, until I am now able to help my teacher at tap class demonstrate our choreography. I knew I wanted to pursue theatre some day, so I began writing my own plays, reading other play scripts for guidance, and directed and performed in them with my siblings for family members. Without that, I would never have gotten cast as the title role in "Anne of Green Gables" after my first ever audition (with no "formal" experience). (And just putting it out there, my director told me to add the plays I had written and performed in to my theatre experience resume, because he said that totally counted.)
That is just one example from my life. It will look completely different from person to person. But I want the take-away to be this: the drive to upskill will only help you in whatever you pursue later on in life. The motivation to learn as much as possible will give you information and knowledge to be able to be a part of any conversation without feeling out of depth, provide more ideas and nurture creativity. The discipline of perseverance and hard work will only move you forward in your career, your hobbies, your goals, your dreams, and ultimately, your life.
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If you think you don't have the opportunities you need, think again. I didn't pay for any of the upskilling I sought after. I read books from the library, held conversations with other people who knew about things I didn't, I utilized the resources we had at home and what is available on the internet (and while there is a lot of trash, there are also a lot of helpful resources on there to get you started). Hard work will cost you time and energy, but it will take you further than scrolling through social media.
You don't have to do everything, and maybe instead of picking eight different hobbies like I did, just pick one, and choose your goal, breaking it down into small, achievable steps. Don't be intimidated by the fact that no one your age is doing it, you are not officially trained for it, you're not sure where it will lead, or you're afraid to take the next step. If only more people realized how powerful the bravery of doing it scared is, I think everyone would feel less held back in life. There rarely comes a time when everything falls perfectly into your lap and you don't have an ounce of doubt or wrestle with feelings of inadequacy. I believe we are capable of more than we realize, especially with God on our side. So read the book "Do Hard Things" - they go into greater detail and have some fantastic stories of their own to share. Read up about whatever you're passionate it. And choose to do the hard things. It will change your life.
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