Back in the 90s, I played volleyball religiously. During the summer, we went to the beach almost every Saturday and Sunday, played all day, then went and played indoors on Sunday night. We also played indoors 1 or 2 nights during the week year-round.

Towards the end of my volleyball career, it was more frustrating than fun. Maybe my performance had peaked and I could no longer play as well as I thought I should. In hindsight, it was probably my corporate job and bad nutrition catching up with me.

My identity as a volleyball player and the momentum of habitually playing every week kept me going for a while, but eventually I realized it was no longer for me. I play for fun; if it is not fun anymore, why do I keep playing?

Have you ever found yourself going through the motions of a hobby that no longer gives you joy?