You ever had real potential at sports or artistic endeavors?

[Intermission]

Supposedly sprinting according to the athletics coach. I never viewed that profession seriously tough.

 

[fingercuffs]

I played tennis for the county of Hampshire once, but that was it.

 

[fingercuffs]

Boys and cigarettes screwed up my potential tennis career, I used to play at a club every day after school. I wasn't bad at all, really.

Getting a spot playing for the county should have spurred me on but I'd already given up mentally.

 

[FléauDeDieu]

Wanted to be lot's of things when it came to Sports & Arts when I was younger, let's see.

First thing in life I wanted to be was a Professional Wrestler. At 25 I could still make that come true, but as far as I know WWE are heavily recruiting former college athletes now to turn them into wrestlers so I'm out of luck unless I become something extraordinary in BJJ or Judo. Even now, I'm not sure I'd want to be a professional wrestler. It's a hard life where you destroy your body for half the respect that any MMA journeyman gets. It's often said that Pro Wrestling is worse for your body overall than doing MMA or any extreme sport. I'd rather keep my body intact as I get older and do several sports instead than live off the egos of my Fleaumaniacs. That, and I couldn't really live through all the silly wrestling politics that WWE or any major organisation entails.

Pro Surfer when I was seven. I didn't know this, but that dream was already dead even before I was seven. Most pro surfers today are already surfing with their parents even before they can walk. I live an hour and a half from the closest surf break so it was never really going to happen for me. Still, it would've suited my nomadic nature, travelling the world surfing the best breaks and getting hundred of thousands of dollars to do so. Sometimes I still dream about surfing a big wave though.

Animator or Cartoonist. I could not draw for shit, no matter how many times I tried. Even wasted a year of my life after school trying my hardest to improve, but I couldn't. Once I become rich, I'm going to form my own animation studio and gets others to animate my vision.

Rockstar or famous musician. Think every boy wants to be this when they're younger at some point. Something I never truly pursued, since I hate the feeling of my fingertips touching guitar strings.

Writer. Something I'm seriously pursing now in the hopes I can make a career out of it and travel the world. My specialisation is Romance Writing - the most lucrative genre there is in self publishing and the wider literature market. I love shipping characters I like in fiction together, so it comes naturally to me. I'm a man, though I write under a pen name. I've written both straight and sapphic romances. Along with that, I'm also writing several children's book right.
I noticed I got a five star review on my first sapphic romance published, so I must be doing something right.

For some reason I feel I would've made a good amateur wrestler if I'd been born in the USA. I really liked Pro Wrestling growing up, so I could've seen my parents letting me try it out since it's the closest thing to Pro Wrestling as a sport.

Father was a very good amateur boxer (National champion) and we did it together for a couple of years, but deep down I just lack the necessary fighting spirit to really make it work. Even when we sparred together I found it hard to really jab someone. I would often yell "ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!?" when I landed a basic combo that rocked someone.
It's funny I had all the necessary genetics too to be a good boxer - fast hand speed, heavy hands, deep condition etc - but it just goes against my very nature to use violence on someone.

Ditto the same with MMA in general. I want to be an MMA fighter. I like the idea of being a complete martial artist badass but the violence just goes against my nature. It's like trying to force a cube into a triangle hole.
I think that's why I liked wrestling so much as a child compared to "normal" sports. I get to be a tough guy, without actually hurting someone. And it's an artform as well. I'd rather watch stories than have two men simply bangs their heads out for no reason.

 

[Aurelian]

Not sure if this counts as a sport, but when I was little my dad worked at this pool hall and I would be there all the time. Almost every day. By the time I was around 8 years old, I could run 8 ball racks. By the time I was 13, I could run 9 ball racks. By 19, I was gambling $100 sets almost every day with people. But I kind of lost interest in it and stopped playing. I haven't picked up a pool cue in years but I'm sure I could still run 9 ball racks.

 

[My Spot]

If I didn't lose interest in basketball during high school I would've eventually been starting PG for the Knicks.

 

[Swamps]

I played football in College and two years Semi-Pro.

 

[boingyman]

Tough racket to make money in now, unless highly specialized or famous for some reason.

Been a hobbyist photographer most of my life, thankfully never had any urge for doing weddings lol

Definitely tough now a days to make it a full-time profession unless you are well established and truly branded yourself. This is why many pro photographers are also branching out doing other things as well as create courses/classes to teach other photographers. I don't think I would ever do another wedding unless the circumstances were right.

I enjoy just being a hobbyist as well. lately I've been interested in taking photos of my son's soccer games. Not sure I want to commit yet and if I did I really want a longer lens like a 300 or 400mm prime. I have a 70-200 2.8 IS II (and a 1.4x III extender), but you don't get the separation and reach of the bigger primes at f/2.8. I'm a Canon shooter and still use my old 5D3. You can find a EF 300mm f/2.8 IS I for a reasonable price these days in good condition. I even saw a version II model go for a steal at $2k in pristine condition. Dream lens for field sports would be a 400mm f/2.8 IS, but I could never justify spending that kind of money for something I would do as a hobby every so often.

 

[Travis Alexander]

Was pretty good at MMA and Boxing but enjoyed partying too much and really fucked off my best years before getting sober. Won some regional belts and was a top 5 ranked amateur in the state. Also went to Art school for a year and grew up drawing etc but dropped out to pursue MMA .

Just an overall cycle of insanity. Now I chase money and success. Combat sports as well as the arts are hobbies that I still engage in weekly out of passion. It is purer that way for me.

 

[FléauDeDieu]

Every time I think about what life might've been like for me if I'd pursued a sport I'm interested in now (Kendo/Fencing/Gymnastics) as a child I get the sense I would've probably winded up quitting it 2-3 years in.
I don't know, I feel that's the way my brain is wired. I could never truly just "master" something or spend the long hours on doing one singular pursuit. Even now with all the different sports I do there's a variety with it so I don't get burnt out from doing one all the time. Ah, it never ends for me. I'd like to do as much as I can in life, and pursing one thing to the detriment of others would just cause me to burn out of it quickly.

I get the feeling that's why I never went to college to study a single subject - I want to learn and be well versed in many things, just not one thing for four years.

 

[Beechwood]

Only in my dreams. I did ok at tennis for awhile. A major university tennis coach knew my name which shocked me to learn. but I became ill with a stomach condition and so that was that.

 

[Gene Tunney]

Only in my dreams. I did ok at tennis for awhile. A major university tennis coach knew my name which shocked me to learn. but I became ill with a stomach condition and so that was that.

I have this reoccurring dream where it's a bright and sunny day at the ballpark.

I'm playing defense.

A batter hits a bouncy grounder, which I cleanly field.

But then my arm turns into a noodle and I can't throw the ball!

My football dreams are better.

 

[Sobek]

I Believe most people, to a degree have a talent in something. I never found mine. I'd still like to find something just so I felt a 'fit' and it could be something to work on as a hobby.

A friend of mine used to say 'you've gotta try your hand at everything. You could be the best downhill skiier in the world but you may never know if you don't try skiing'.
I think he had a point.

I enjoyed all kinds of martial arts since my teens but never got to dedicate myself due to work, moving around so much and party lifestyle in my 20s.

I remember having started Pankration and the instructor approached me after a lesson or two and he complemented me and said 'Sobek, how old are you?'
I said '32' ( or 33 or whatever I was)
He said 'aaaaah! You missed your window'.
That left me a bit dejected thinking 'maybe that's what I was meant to be doing'. I don't think so as I lack a few traits for fighting.

So now life has changed a bit and I think of what I can try, just for satisfaction and hobby basically since I'm old.
The search continues...

 

[Bacco]

Both sport and art but in opposite ways lol

At sports guess i missed more than one train
At first during my childhood my parents had other problems than try throw me in serious competition and said no to quite rare offer, as teen i was too shithead(and had shithead istructors), when finally my brain worked right was too old to start anything serious so fuck that
On bright side i suspect on big stage with audience anxiety may have choked my performance (since i experienced it in my first public speeches, took 3-4 to be cool at it), so maybe whatever

At art i'm average, in the sense i'm good but pretty average in the world of those good at art
My art school path was heading into illustrator path (wich i even did a bit, together with completely different stuff), watching AI likely eating large majority of a job that was already scarce of clients before it, make me feel like i dodged bullet (AI may still get me no doubt, but at least i was'nt in very first cathegory that got fucked hard)

 

[Spounman]

What happened? Did it work out or not? If not what happened? What mistakes did you make?

I spent 15 years trying to be a musician. Made a bunch of mistakes but I never had real talent either. Always had to force the mindset

Comedy though

I’ve been just smoking the open mics lately. I’m the closer now. Got a little drunk.. talking some shit. When I’m sober.. I put a lot of effort into maintaining a cool mindset..

I want to get some money out of the comedy game though. There’s some earning potential.

I played Baseball and Basketball from 6 to my early 20s. I also wrestled in junior high and high school. In my twenties I constantly played basketball at parks and gyms. And I played softball into my 30s. It worked out in terms of keeping me in shape and keeping me happy. In junior high I was the best at Baseball and Basketball but when I got to High School, reality hit and I realized I wasn't the best anymore. I guess my peak would be one year in high school basketball we came in 2nd place. Also in college I did a 3 on 3 basketball tournament and we were the only team with a girl and we came in 2nd.

 

[Romulas]

What happened? Did it work out or not? If not what happened? What mistakes did you make?

I spent 15 years trying to be a musician. Made a bunch of mistakes but I never had real talent either. Always had to force the mindset

Comedy though

I’ve been just smoking the open mics lately. I’m the closer now. Got a little drunk.. talking some shit. When I’m sober.. I put a lot of effort into maintaining a cool mindset..

I want to get some money out of the comedy game though. There’s some earning potential.

I would have had a UFC career if I didn't get lyme disease and babesiosis from a tick.. Had to pivot and put all of that energy into business which I'm a professional at now I guess, lol.

 

[BroScienceTalkatWork]

I would have had a UFC career if I didn't get lyme disease and babesiosis from a tick.. Had to pivot and put all of that energy into business which I'm a professional at now I guess, lol.

That sucks man. If you’re really talking a long UFC career though those ticks probably saved you some brain damage.

Still feel you though man. Those young man dreams are different. Can never replace that.

 

[Jesus X]

When I was sent to the academy for the MLB in high school. I realized I would never be a professional because they had guys like deshaun jackson there who was better than me at baseball and his actual sport was football. I was a decorated baseball player with tons of awards and all star selections yet when I got to one of the lower tiers of the MLB recruitment process I was probably the worst player on that team lol I would have never made it to single A ball.

 

[Romulas]

That sucks man. If you’re really talking a long UFC career though those ticks probably saved you some brain damage.

Still feel you though man. Those young man dreams are different. Can never replace that.

It's tough...lol. 3 of the guys I trained with were or are champs and a whole bunch of my social group are/were in the UFC..

Even if you don't have a lucrative fight career the ancillary benefits in business can be huge. I have a few friends who never made over 100k a fight go on to be successful because other wealthy people wanted to be associated with a UFC fighter.

 

[Kassitus]

No, but I haven't given up yet.