2 Surprising Lessons Quitting My “Passion” Taught Me
Sometimes, it’s okay to throw in the towel.
Back in the summer of 2017, I came across what I then thought would be the passion I struggled so hard to find as a high school student preparing to go to college.
That “passion” was photography.
I spent my days skating through the city, capturing the beauty of the mundane through my camera lens. I was exposed to a whole new perspective of the world that my camera helped reveal.
Never did I imagine that I would find exhilaration in snapping photos of the sky or of the cars leaving a trail of light that illuminated the busy intersections at night. Rest assured, my 17-year-old self was convinced that I had my career path all figured out because of my obsession.
Well…that obsession was short-lived *cue the sad violin music*
Long story short, I had a freak accident while playing a pick-up basketball game — shattering my ankle as the outer side of my foot crashed full-send into the court floor after a rebound.
I was left hobbling around in a cast with crutches.
That meant no skating around town with my camera in hand. That meant spending most of my day laying in bed with my foot propped up on a stack of pillows, as I laid there contemplating what the f*ck did I do.
Suddenly, my priorities shifted away from photography as I set my sights on rehabbing my injury. I didn’t care about anything else other than being able to walk and run on my two feet again.
My obsession with photography faded away.
The thing that I once deemed as a passion was thrown onto the back burner, eventually ending up in the drawer of other short-lived “passions” I never stuck with in the past.
After 3 years of attempting to dabble with photography again, I couldn’t rekindle the flame of enthusiasm my 17-year-old self had for the craft.
I grew to the consensus that photography was no longer a priority of mine, figuring out that I was better off engaging my efforts in other crafts I now find more valuable, such as writing.
My untapped potential in the art never saw the light of day as I veered away from the camera, yet I can’t deny that my short-lived fascination with photography has taught me 2 valuable lessons I think anybody working on a hobby or skill would benefit from knowing:
- Sometimes, giving up on a craft is okay if it no longer aligns with your priorities.
- Your ability, or inability, to stay afloat when the beginner’s momentum is gone is a determinant of how passionate you are about your new-found interest.
If You Move On, Don’t Sweat It.
“Sometimes it’s best to put forth our efforts in getting over those hurdles. Other times, it’s best to take the exit and venture onto a different path.”
Living in a hustle culture where the mantra “NEVER GIVE UP” is shoved down our throats, it’s ingrained in our heads that if we fail to stick with our goals, we’re failures.
Nobody likes being a failure.
Rightfully so, I’m on board with the philosophy that we should try our best to push through the friction and self-doubt that any goal worth achieving presents.
If I had quit writing on Medium after my first story got a grand total of 3 claps, I wouldn’t be here 4 months later continuing to improve and explore my curiosities through writing. I wouldn’t have discovered the freedom it provides for someone who only knew writing in the context of school essays.
Had I quit after publishing my 1st story, that would’ve been an indicator that writing my thoughts for others to judge wouldn’t be a craft worth pursuing because the ambition wasn’t strong enough.
If the ambition isn’t there, the will to grind won’t be there either.
Hence, sometimes giving up on a hobby or goal is a reasonable choice. As psychology professor of Santa Clara University, David B. Feldman put it:
“When people have difficulty motivating themselves to pursue a goal, sometimes it’s because the goal isn’t as meaningful to them as it used to be. People change over time, and there’s no reason that their goals shouldn’t change, too.”
For a 12-year-old kid, let’s say that learning how to kickflip on a skateboard is the skill they’re focused on achieving. Fast-forward a decade later, and the now 22-year-old’s focus has probably shifted from learning how to skate to learning about graphic design to create art for clients.
Our ambitions change as our lives do too.
If you choose to give up on a craft because it no longer gives the value it once provided, then by all means don’t be afraid to throw in the towel.
Doing so wouldn’t make you a failure.
Refusing to adjust your priorities to your current ambitions and interests — that would be failing what you truly want in life.
When Sticking With It Is Worth It
We’ve all been guilty of being mesmerized by the “honeymoon phase” of a new goal.
Think about New Year’s resolutions, such as getting in shape.
At the beginning of the year, gyms are packed, all the treadmills are taken, and gym-newbies are using the squat rack to perform bicep curls. Then 3 or 4 months later, the gym traffic slows down and the resolutioners are nowhere to be found.
Why?
Because as the wave of momentum died down, so did their motivation. Relying solely on motivation to carry you on it’s back to the finish line is a sure way for failure because that anticipation is temporary.
Ultimately, the “honeymoon phase” will burn out, and it will be up to the person to decide whether or not it’s worth pushing through once the beginner’s zeal is gone.
If you have an ambition that lights a fire within you — and the intrinsic value of it is too good to pass up — perhaps you ought to stick with it. In contrast, if you decide to walk away, make sure to redirect that energy onto another craft you think would serve a better purpose.
In my case, I ended up losing interest in photography because I relied heavily on the wave of momentum to maintain the enthusiasm that my newbie-self had.
Although I chose not to stick with photography, I redirected that once-lost enthusiasm and energy into the craft of writing that I look forward to doing every day.
When you’re hit by a barrier that tests your ability to stick through the grittiest of the grit, how will you respond?
Are you going to double-down on the challenge, or will you back down and head the other direction as I did with photography?
Sometimes it’s best to put forth our efforts in getting over those hurdles. Other times, it’s best to take the exit and venture onto a different path.
Either decision is ok, as long as it’s ok with you.