My tenth birthday was the first time I was allowed to have a huge slumber party. I invited all of the girls in my class (which sounds like a lot until you remember that in my class that was like 9 total), we played games, I got tons of presents, it was my favorite childhood birthday party in memory
For ten years of my life, I was in 4-H. Some of the stuff I did for that program was STUPID and I DIDN'T WANNA. But other things were really fun and I have fond memories of things like modeling and showing rabbits. And still other things seemed incredibly annoying and dumb at the time, bit I'm glad I learned them. The Favorite Food Revue taught me about table setting and menu planning, which is something I encounter all the time now. I had NO patience for some of the things that I sewed (my mother can vouch, I have no idea how she had the patience for my nonsense), but without that, I would have way more difficulty making the cosplays that I love so much. Overall, 4-H was time definitely not wasted.
Ten years ago, I was preparing for my first speech meet. Some of my favorite high school memories are centered around speech practice and meets. I was able to bond with my friends and discovered that I love to make people laugh. Plus,And I wasn't half bad at it, and I've got the medals to prove it. Additionally, I learned skills that have been tremendously helpful since then. In college, presentations were so much less stressful for me than they could have been. I knew how to articulate an idea in a way that people actually wanted to hear. In an environment where Ii had to carefully divide my mental energy between projects, not having to expend much on delivering presentations was a lifesaver. I never would have gained that skill had it not been for those winter days spent having my delivery picked apart over and over.
Beyond college, my years on the speech team have given me confidence in interviews. Sure, it's still heart-pounding, but I can bring back a little of that overconfident teenager who can sell a lighter to a dragon (hey, I still like to make people laugh). Speech taught me things that have shaped my personality. It has become a part of my identity that I am a public speaker. And you know what? I've been a public speaker for ten years.
Speech queen
Job interview queen
Ten years is kind of the default for "a long time." It's a nice, round number and it feels like forever when you're living it.
When I was in college, I started encountering a mentality that we all develop to some degree: that it's too late to start something new. It's an easy thing to fall into when you pick up sheet music for the first time while surrounded by those who read music when they could barely read words. It seems like you're behind, that you have to "catch up" to everyone else. It seems so insurmountable, what's the point? As I get older, I see that more and more. It feels like we've missed the boat on learning new things.
But consider this: if you start learning that thing, by 2030, you'll have done it for ten years! And that's nothing to sneeze at. Take up an instrument, learn a language, get the education you've always wanted. Ten years is a long time to be able to enjoy something. And what better time than a fresh, new decade to pick up something you will enjoy for the next ten years?
I hope you're encouraged by the prospect of a new decade and it's possibilities. I'm choosing to be positive about it, so here's to another decade of adventure!
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