Somewhere along the way, we started believing that everything we do has to be impressive to be worth keeping. That if we’re not naturally good at something, or if we don’t improve fast enough, then maybe it’s not meant for us at all. So we begin to filter our lives through performance. We keep what we can show off. We quietly drop what makes us feel exposed. And without realizing it, we trade genuine joy for quiet approval.
I think a lot of us stopped trying things the moment we realized we weren’t naturally good at them. Not because we didn’t like them — but because we felt a little embarrassed, a little behind, a little not enough. There’s a specific kind of silence that comes with that. The kind where you slowly put something down, not because you’re done with it, but because you’re afraid of how you look while doing it.
You don’t always walk away from things you hate. Sometimes, you walk away from things you love just because you’re not good at them yet. — Saiki
And that’s the part people don’t talk about enough. How insecurity doesn’t always show up loudly. Sometimes it looks like losing interest. Sometimes it sounds like I’m just not into it anymore. But deep down, it’s not disinterest — it’s discomfort…
