When provided the choice of whether to do something new and something enjoyable I’ve already done before, I’ve always picked the second option: I’ve always thought that it’s the safer, better choice as opposed to doing something else I may or may not like in which case if I didn’t, I would end up feeling discontent about how I spent my time.
But maybe for the many times I’ve made these decisions, I was wrong, as proven by tennis matches I played with a few of my family friends during a social gathering.
Despite being one of the most common sports, the tennis I played on the 28th of October was only maybe the fourth time I’ve played the sport.
Being an unsporty person myself, this was no surprise for the family friends whom I played two hours worth of tennis matches with.
Unexpectedly, I felt immersed during each match as I played more and more, and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Aahan, one of the friends I played against, agreed when I said the games were fun and suggested we should play some other time, to which I said sure.
I was certainly delighted by the improvement I made in the game.
Running to the part of the pitch where I had to anticipate where the ball was going to land as it came towards me, was initially challenging for me but as time went on, I think I got more used to moving to the correct place.
Furthermore, I made a significant improvement in my technique, as I got several opportunities to practise my serves and backhand and forehand shots, meaning the power and accuracy of my shots were substantially better than what they were previously.
I had to also adjust to the vast size of the court which I’m not accustomed to, as I usually play badminton which uses a much smaller court.
I quickly realised that this demanded me to run faster, although I tried to avoid unnecessary movement when possible to conserve my energy.
On the 28th, I played a sport I’ve only ever done a few times before; I can confidently say it’s one of my favourite sports (can change) and I’ll surely find time for tennis in the future.
I definitely encourage you to take a step out of your comfort zone and try something new despite it being a risk.
In addition, my message can easily be translated to other things, for example trying out new food, clothing, a new instrument, as we can become more interesting people, discover our passions and expand our interests.
So the next time you’re offered an opportunity to try something new out, whatever it may be, instead of instantly declining, perhaps think: do I really not want to do this?
