The 7 Deadly Sins of Learning a New Hobby

It’s nearly spring, a perfect time to reboot your life, get out of your rut, and try something new. But if you’re goin to learn to tap dance, start studying architecture, learn to cook, or dive into basically anything else that’s brand new to you, you’ll be much more likely to succeed if you don’t do the seven things listed below.

Spending too much on equipment

If you want to get started hiking, you don’t need a CamelBak, a pair of $700 Moncler hiking boots, and a titanium hiking pole. You need an old pair of sneakers and a bottle of water from 7-11. There are gear-heads in just about every hobby, but don’t listen to them until you’re experienced enough to know what you actually need to buy. Otherwise, you might be just throwing money away, and if you end up not liking your new hobby, you’ll end up with a garage full of workout machines, expensive cameras, and oil paints.

Expecting to be an instant expert

Being a beginner at something generally sucks, but anything worth doing takes a lot of practice, time, and dedication — and everyone started from nothing. You’re not going to be a good skier the first time you get off the lift. You’re not going to suddenly know how to sing when you step up to do karaoke for the first time. You can’t start running with a half marathon. Accept it. After all, being absolutely awful at something is a necessary step toward being kind of bad at something, and that leads to being “pretty OK” at something.

Getting too frustrated

I started learning guitar when I was 16, and I can still remember vividly how frustrating it was. I’d spend hours forcing my fingers into unnatural shapes on the fretboard, convinced that it couldn’t possibly be this difficult to switch between two basic chords. But it is actually that difficult for a long time, but then it become less difficult. I kept at it and now I’m an intermediate guitarist. Victory! The difference between people who are competent at something and people who can’t do it at all comes from not giving up, as cliché as that is to say. So celebrate small victories, and give yourself a break for failures. Just don’t give up on it.

Unless it’s really not for you. Later in my life, I set out to learn to play the banjo. I practiced for at least an hour every day, diligently following tutorials and reading about banjos. It took two months of discipline and practice for me to realise that I actually hate the way banjos sound. I gave it up immediately, but now I know for sure it’s not for me.

Trying to go it alone

I’m a big fan of teaching yourself, but if you’re learning a new hobby or skill, it’s usually a good idea to have another person show you the first steps, whether it’s one-on-one or in a class. If it’s physical thing, like a new sport or type of workout, an experienced hand showing you the ropes can prevent injuries. If it’s an intellectual or artistic pursuit, the help of a teacher can point you in the right direction and helps prevent cementing bad habits right from the start.

Not having realistic goals and expectations

If you’re starting some new endeavour, it’s good to have a realistic goal in mind. It doesn’t have to be super specific, and you can change it later, but “I’m going to train to run a 5K in three months with the help of a personal trainer” is much more likely to keep you motivated and lead to success than something vague like, “I’m going to get in better shape.” Your goals should be achievable, too. “I’m going to take a class at the community college toward a degree” is a better start than, “I’m going to get my PhD so I can be a doctor.” You can always get more ambitious later.

Overcommitting your time and energy

I’m definitely guilty of this one — I have a tendency to hyper-focus on learning something new, and committing a ton of time and energy to pursuing it. Which is great, but it often leads to a quick burnout or ignoring other important things in favour of the new hobby.

Not starting

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ve always wanted to be a screenwriter/a paintball player/a pilot/whatever.” I always think, “You’ve always wanted to? But you haven’t given it a shot?” (But I’m too polite to say it.)

I understand it’s not always as simple as “just starting.” There can be realistic things that can keep us from pursuing the things we want, but more often than not, people limit themselves because they’re afraid — afraid they’ll look stupid, their friends will mock them, they’ll never really succeed anyway, or it’s just too late. And it really might be too late, and your friends might mock you, and you might not succeed. But if you don’t try, you’ll never know. And it’s much better to think, “Stand-up comedy is not for me,” than, “I’ve always wanted to be a stand-up comic.”