Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Introduction:
Until early this year this was a problem I failed to acknowledge that I had. Throughout my whole life I remember being intrigued with everything and wanting to learn. I would take up a variety of hobbies and as a consequence all of my interests began piling up. I wanted to do so many different things that it would cause me stress. Also, it was difficult to find the time to do them. I also found myself constantly drawn away from one thing and onto the next, never finishing the project. Whilst also putting a lot of pressure on myself. I would hear this constant voice in my head asking me when I was going to start certain tasks, adding to the stress.
To provide you with some context these were the things I wanted to do:
- Travel
- Reading
- Learn to Paint
- Learn to draw
- Model making (Cars, Scenery etc.)
- learn horse riding
- learn how to play a new instrument (Keyboard)
- Journal
- Write
- Learn how to cook
- Learn a new language
- photography
It’s clear to see I wouldn’t have enough time to do most of these with school and everything.
Now, I know some people may argue that it is good to be interested in a lot of different things and I agree. To an extent. I think having too many interests can be extremely overwhelming and be the root of unnecessary stress. Also, I understand that people have many interests and are great at juggling them all. However, I simply am not that person and having all of these interests was stressing me out. So, I hope my experience can help those who are currently struggling with the same problem.
The problems I faced with having too many interests.
The stress and pressure
One problem with having too many interests that couldn’t fit into my schedule was all of this excessive stress. Something that was suppose to be fun (hobbies) turned into something stressful. I put a lot of pressure on myself to learn al these different things whilst trying my hardest to fit them into my already busy schedule.
Another thing that I did, which looking back at it now makes me laugh, is I put way too much pressure on myself to become an expert in that area of interest. When I would lose interest in the hobby I would then feel guilty and annoyed at myself for not having the willpower to complete them. The one thing that I learnt from this is not to put pressure on yourself over things that are suppose to be fun. It is unrealistic to be good at everything and to know everything so there is no point in putting so much pressure on yourself to do so.
A Jack of all trades is a master of none
Because I had so many different interests and never focused on just one thing I don’t have any one hobby that I have mastered. And although this is not necessarily a bad thing I would have liked to be extremely good at one particular hobby. However, I never stuck to just one hobby long enough to master it.
Struggling to pick a career choice throughout school
Another problem I faced was making decisions regarding my career. When we are younger we are conditioned to pick a career field and work our whole lives towards it. But, when everything interests you it becomes difficult to know the one thing you want to spend the rest of your life doing. Throughout my time at school I was interested in so many career choices. There were just so many that I saw myself enjoying that I struggled to make a decision when it came to applying for courses.
How I overcame it
Before I start writing this section I want to give credit to Odysseas who created a YouTube video about this very same topic. His video helped me overcome the problems I was facing and may help you too. Click here to watch the video.
One of the things that really helped me overcome this struggle was making a list of all of my hobbies and categorising them in order of importance. I set aside the least important hobbies or the ones I didn’t really have a lot of motivation for, saving them for the future.
One thing I feared when I was younger was not having enough time to learn everything I wanted hence why I rushed trying to get everything done. I wanted to do everything then and there. But it is important to prioritise the things that matter to you most and set aside things that you can do later on.
For example, currently I really like reading and am currently learning a new language. These are the things I am prioritising right now. However, occasionally I indulge in a few other hobbies like painting or baking but these are only occasionally. I have also pushed aside some hobbies for the future like traveling and writing a book. This way I am not putting excessive pressure on myself to complete everything at once.
Conclusion:
I just want to end this blog by saying that there is nothing wrong with having too many interests. In fact a lot of highly successful people have multiple interests. However, i understand and have experienced the stress and overwhelming emotions associated with having too many. I have seen both the positive and negative impacts having too many interests has had on my life and the lessons I have learned from it and wanted to share them. So with that being said I hope that you enjoyed this post and found it useful.
I want to create a space on this blog where people are encouraged to make and share their own opinions. With that being said I would love to hear any of your thoughts!
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