When are you allowed to say you truly love and are dedicated to something? If someone knows every Jonas Brothers song, has seen them every time they’ve been in Massachusetts (and New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island) and is still a dedicated follower of each Jonas Brother, it’s pretty easy to call them a number one fan. But if another fan only knows a few songs and still loves the group immensely, is he or she any less of a fan?

OK, so maybe he or she is a little less of a fan. Or maybe they are just a different kind of fan.

Dedicated fans or lovers of certain hobbies and activities can get pretty indignant in regards to what they love. “But I liked it first!” they might cry out. Or possibly, “No, no, there is no way anyone can love this thing as much as I do.”

To be a fan of something often means to guard it as your own or to judge those less involved in it as not possibly loving it as much. I admit, I've done this. But I’ve also felt what it's like to be on the other side of it. There are certain activities I truly love, but I know there are fans or enthusiasts more dedicated to them than I am. Like I said though, I truly love them.

One of my biggest examples is music. To some people, the kinds of music I like the most may indicate that I’m not a true music-lover. I personally disagree. If you are passionate about certain genres, whether music critics praise them or not doesn’t matter. You still love music.

I absolutely love to perform music, too. I love to sing, but I can't really read sheet music for singing. I can somewhat play guitar and ukulele. I played clarinet and oboe in high school, but I haven't played either in a long time. I'm not a formally trained vocalist, I'm not a classical guitarist and I'm not in a professional orchestra. But I can bet I love music just as much as anyone who is one of those things.

Few things make me happier than listening to, playing, and even writing about music. I am so passionate about few other things. I refuse to let anyone tell me that I love music less than they do.

And this could apply to a plethora of other hobbies or activities. It could apply to everything from knitting to playing Monopoly. Whatever it is that you love, allow yourself to love it fully. Don’t pressure yourself to be more dedicated to it, or perhaps less, just to fit someone else’s definition of what it means to truly love something. Perhaps you do want to be more or less dedicated, but in any case, love it however you want to.

Basically, my point is that the amount you know about something or are involved in something does not necessarily affect the amount that you love it. Of course a professional track runner is technically more dedicated to running than someone who casually goes for runs. But so be it. Both the track runner and casual runner might absolutely love to run and no one should tell them otherwise.