Ever been so bad at something it’s almost impressive — yet you still can’t stop doing it?
My whole life, I gravitated toward hobbies that came easily: knitting, crocheting, reading, cooking. Team sports, on the other hand, made me feel like a fish out of water. I even claimed to hate math — until it suddenly clicked, and then I loved it.
As a society, we love extremes. If something isn’t amazing or awful, we treat it like it doesn’t matter. That mindset has seeped into how we view success too.
We’re told we need to excel at everything. Anything short of exceptional feels like failure. Eventually, that pressure becomes exhausting.
Yoga changed that for me.
When I started, I genuinely couldn’t touch my toes. It was bleak. But the space felt safe. No judgment — just encouragement. So I kept going.
A year later, I can touch my toes (during yoga). There’s still a lot I can’t do — and that’s the point. Yoga taught me there’s power in being average. Even below average.
I’ve also taken up baking, and I am… spectacularly bad at it. Most of my creations look like they’ve survived a natural disaster. But I’m sticking with it. Maybe I’ll be back in a few months with a well-decorated cake. Or a flan, if I’m feeling bold.
insert poorly baked items
The point is simple: stick with the things you’re bad at. Not because you’ll magically become great — but because there’s joy in showing up anyway. Sometimes the things we struggle with teach us the most.
Written by: Mariam Guirguis
