 |
| "O Bottom, Thou Art Changed" (1908) by Arthur Rackham |
Can you think of a skill, activity, or area of study that you have dismissed as being beyond your capacity that might warrant a second look? Are there any skills, activities or areas of study that you once dreamed of developing or that you spent some time on but later abandoned--perhaps prematurely--because you decided you lacked the necessary talent? Consider whether your measure of success in this endeavor involves improving your performance or being better than other people. Consider whether the process of improving might itself be valuable or enjoyable independent of any particular achievement that could demonstrate your superiority to others. Can you enjoy an activity that you are, at least initially, "bad" at?
When I was younger, I wanted to play the piano. My cousin had been playing it for a few years by then and I decided that I wanted to be like her and play the same instrument. I started off fairly well, advancing quickly through the practices that I was taking. I believed I was extremely well for myself and I decided to do the end of the year contest that my teacher hosted for all of her students. There, I saw what the others could do which was far beyond my own capacity. I became disheartened and the next year of playing I quickly grew to stop practicing. I thought that no matter what, I could never outplay those other students and my lack of interest in playing grew. Two years later I quit after I decided I had not improved enough. I believed that to be successful in playing the piano, I had to be just as good, if not better, than those who had been playing for several years before I had begun. If I had not judged myself by the talent of others it would have been enjoyable for me to continue practicing. I did love playing until I saw that I did not have the capability of some of the others around me. You can enjoy anything that you are doing; it is until you start comparing yourself to others that people can lose their love for it.
ReplyDeleteIn ninth grade, I joined my high school color guard team. During the summer we practiced each week. I was nervous in practice and was intimidated by the older girls and their talents. For the first several weeks I didn't believe that I had the capability of successfully throwing my flag, so I didn't even try; the flag never left my hands in practice because I didn't want to embarrass myself or disappoint my coaches. Outside of practice, though, I worked incredibly hard. I spent hours outside throwing my flag and developing my own talents. My family and I celebrated even the smallest of my improvements. A few weeks later, my friend came over and I let her toss my equipment around a bit. To my dismay, she quickly caught on to the skills that I had spent weeks learning. At first, I felt like her talents invalidated my talents and I wanted to quit color guard. After talking to my parents and my coaches I realized that just because she caught on quicker than I did that didn't mean that my talents were any less than hers. I loved color guard and I was proud of my progress! This experience taught me that I could enjoy my activities even if I had to work harder than other people. - Kate Draper
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to never quit something you love because of someone else, for any reason. I think that it is great that you stuck with it and excelled, even if you had to work harder. Sometimes accomplishments are even better when you know how hard you've worked to get there!
DeleteMuch like Lauren, when I was eight my aunt played the clarinet in the church band. My aunt was one of my roll models and I wanted to be just like her, so I begged and begged my mother for a clarinet. When I finally did receive it, I tried and tried, to no avail, to play it like my aunt did. After a couple of months I was no longer intrigued by it, and it was put in the very most back corner of my closet. It is still there to this day, so that is something I could possible take s second look at and spend sometime with as I am now older and more matured. Currently I am enjoying disc golf, which I was I'll admit I am dreadful at. However it's a heaping amount of fun to play and learn. So yes I do think it is possible to like something even if your bad at it.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved to read from a very early age. I read just about anything I could get my hands on. I have often heard that people who read a lot make great spellers. What struck me as odd about this is that I have always been a terrible speller, at least that is what I believed. At a certain point I decided that I just can’t, and never will be able to, spell. Even after I was given tools, such as dictionaries and a Franklin Spelling Corrector, to help me learn by my mother, I still did not want to even try. I felt dumb when trying and failing to spell. In all honesty, I still do at times. I believe that in my childhood I leaned much more to the fixed mindset. I had failed at spelling so I felt like I was a failure, regardless of my other successes. To cope, I decided that I was “just a bad speller,” and nothing could be done about this. Reading this book really helped me to see the error in this kind of thinking. I have had similar thoughts about drawing and singing, both of which I would like to do well but have felt lacking in skill. Dweck points out that many people believe that these type of creative skills cannot be learned and that you can only be born with them. Unfortunately, I bought into this belief, and have never taken the time to get better. I now understand that I can change, not only these skills, but my mindset about them.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago I decided that I wanted to learn to speak a second language. After helping out a teacher at my middle school, she put in a tape to learn German so she could speak to her grandson and asked if I would like to learn with her. I spent three weeks learning words, phrases, and the order that they put their words in when speaking. Shortly after that school began and I decided that it was not worth the time and I would probably never get to use it anyways. Looking back now I wish I would have continued learning it, because even if it is not used as often as Spanish would be, it would be something nifty to know.
ReplyDeleteMiKayla Lott
I have taken 5 years of art courses, and acrylic paint is still my arch-nemesis. I can contend with others in any medium, excluding acrylic paint. I dreaded acrylic assignments for years! I have determined that it would be an enjoyable hobby t improve on.
ReplyDeleteIt is ironic that you mention this, Sierra, because acrylic is the only medium with which I am comfortable to date. I have tried using oils and watercolors as mediums, but have had no success to date. I still try to develop that skill because I enjoy painting in general. I believe almost any task can be improved upon if someone is willing to put forth the effort.
Delete