Worrying about looking dumb has cost people more chances than actually looking dumb ever did.
REFLECTION
WHAT THIS MEANS
The fear of appearing foolish is oddly expensive, because it prevents attempts continuously while the actual event it is protecting against is brief and quickly forgotten. Looking uninformed for a minute is a real cost and a small one. The tally of things not tried because of it is much larger than anyone notices.
Think of one thing you did not do this year because of how it might have looked. Do a version of it this month. Keep a rough count of the times the feared reaction actually arrived.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
What chance did you skip to protect how you looked?
MORE IN MINDSET & IDENTITY
- Changing your style after years of the same look takes nerve. People adjust faster than you think.
- Being the one who says “nah, not doing that” when the whole car agrees is a lonely kind of brave. Be that one.
- Choosing respect over popularity means some people won’t like your no. They’ll still come find you when it counts.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.