Getting called “gifted” early can make you scared of anything you won’t be instantly good at.

Praise for being quick teaches you that the speed was the valuable part, so struggling starts to feel like proof the label was a mistake. The result is a strange caution in people who were told they were capable: they avoid anything with a slow learning curve, because being a beginner threatens the whole identity. What was meant as encouragement quietly narrowed the field. The ability was never the problem.

Take up one thing you will be bad at for a while and stay with it past the ugly part. Being a beginner is a skill, and it can be rebuilt.