Yesterday, while I was scrolling through social media, I came across a post that really struck a chord with me:
“You don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it.”
It resonated deeply, especially when I thought about the barriers women and girls often face when it comes to participating in sport. So often, if we feel we won’t be good at something, we hesitate to even try. I’m sure there’s a bigger conversation here about societal expectations—the pressure to be “good girls,” to “have it all,” to meet impossible standards—but there are others, like psychotherapist Anna Mathur, who explore these broader issues far more eloquently, especially around women and motherhood.
Back to the point: I see this hesitation play out all the time, particularly in women’s beginner football. A new player shows up and immediately says, “But I’m rubbish at football,” as if she’s already preparing her exit.
But what if we flipped the script?
What if instead of thinking “I’m not good at this, so I shouldn’t do it,” we said, “I might not be very good at this, but I enjoy it—and that’s what matters.”
Imagine how freeing that would be. Imagine letting go of the need to be good at everything we try.
Imagine just doing things for the fun of it, for the joy of the experience, and seeing where it takes us.
How brilliant would it be if we all embraced the mantra:
“You don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it.”
Think about the new sports we’d try, the new hobbies we’d pick up, the laughter we’d share with others trying (and probably failing) right alongside us. It’s about prioritising enjoyment over performance, connection over perfection.
This weekend, for example, I’m playing shuffleboard at a family day out. Am I expecting to be good at it? Absolutely not. Am I expecting to enjoy myself? 100%.
And that’s the most important thing.
So next time you catch yourself talking your way out of something because you’re “not very good at it,” remember:
You don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it.
Give it a go—and let me know where it takes you.
And if you want help choosing a new sport to try, then we have a great blog to help with that.
