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Last night while sitting in my office playing guitar, my son came in the room, little guitar in hand, tears streaming down his face. He said he isn’t anything. I looked at him puzzled. He said his sister is a crafter, his father is a coder and I’m a guitarist. We all are “things” but he isn’t.
I can’t lie. I was smiling on the inside. The fact that he called me a guitarist was wonderful. It’s a Covid hobby. I am slowly teaching myself via You Tube. I discovered I enjoy playing so I play everyday. But it feels different to be identified as a guitarist. It feels good. I digress, back to my son.
I asked him what he wanted to be. He looked at me confused. I told him he can be anything if he works towards it every day. My son nodded. He seemed to understand.
By doing something everyday, you will be it.
I found the entire conversation ironic. Just a couple months ago, I asked myself the same question. Who am I? Who did I want to be? What was I doing to get there?
Somewhat lost but somewhat found, I started reading the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. It seemed like I should understand the concepts prior to reading the book but I had no clue.
I didn’t understand I had the power to change my identity by changing my habits. Learning that was profound.
When my son asked me the same question, my eyes lit up. For once, I had an answer. I could help him. I could help him understand he could do anything. Having learned that later in life, I was happy to be able to teach him while he was young.
We believe we need to be a good beginner.
As a child, I quit everything I started. I quit soccer because I wasn’t good. I started violin only to quit within 6 months because I wasn’t good.
The one hobby I didn’t quit was cultural dance. While I wasn’t good, quitting wasn’t an option. My friend’s mom drove us and I was at their house after school.
When I was 14, I was asked to participate in Naya Andaz Dance Competition. The group participating needed additional people. I went with my friend. She was a much better dancer. She absolutely loved to dance. But, she was a year…
