Brand-new sneakers are the most uncomfortable ones you’ll own. Worth comes after the wear.

New things are stiff because they have not learned your shape yet. Out of the box, shoes are built to a general idea of a foot, and it takes weeks before the material gives where you actually bend. The same is true of a new job or a new team. Discomfort at the start is not a sign of a bad fit, it is the absence of wear.

Give the new thing a month before you judge it, not a week. Notice where it is already easier than day one. If it is still rubbing after that, it is a real answer.