Today is a blog post where I start talking about my silly shoe obsession and grow towards a bigger life
lesson. This always sounds dumb in my head, but when I try to break it down, it makes sense. Going from a
space you know and understand most or all variables, to one you don't; from familiar to unfamiliar. Today's
lesson comes from something I was thinking earlier this week: I have quite a few pairs of sneakers, 10 to be
precise, but I don't feel the same way about all of them.
Out of my 10 pairs, 4 are high-tops, 3 AJ1s, and 1 AJ5. The other 6 are a mix of retro runners, skate shoes,
modern basketball shoes, and other assorted ones. I wear them occasionally, but it's clear to me they don't
share the same spot in my heart. I just love high-tops (and I include mid-tops in this group). Thing is, I
didn't have this knowledge when I started to get into sneakers, quite the contrary, like any new hobby, you
take some time to learn what works and what doesn't. For sneakers, you can try them at a store, you can
watch videos and see photos, but it's only with some time with the shoes in your wardrobe and on your feet
that you really get a feeling for the silhouette, know if it fits your style, and if you enjoy using them.
Yet, I feel this sinking feeling that I wasted time and especially money. If I had learned this on day one,
somehow, I could have way more pairs I love and fewer pairs I just like, right?. Of course, reality is not
so simple, and here is where I expand from the shoes to life. It takes time to explore a new subject, you
need to fail, and you need to tumble to understand it. It's part of it. You may spend money, maybe it's
time, maybe both, but we should never see that as a waste. That becomes valuable information for later. By
knowing what doesn't work for me, I know what does. I now know I don't like low-tops and that modern
basketball sneakers aren't that great for wearing on the street, so I don't fall into the trap of buying one
I just find cool.
We as people always tend to see the results, but not the work it took to get there. Every success is backed
by a hundred failures, but they weren't a waste; they were teachers, so you knew what to do next. If you
want a different example, I'm getting close to finishing my major in college, and it took me 10 years since
I joined, why? I changed majors twice, and I went through a flood and a pandemic. I got a quick internship
that became a full-time job that allowed me to do so much with my life. Could I have done it faster if I had
chosen this one immediately? Maybe. But, in a way, the reason I'm here today is that I didn't; I had to
learn as I went through it, as I grew older, and that is how I'm here today, writing what sounds like a
self-help inspirational LinkedIn post on my blog. But hey, the sneakers look fresh.