Being bad at something new at twenty is way less scary than never trying anything new again.

RESILIENCE

WHAT THIS MEANS

Taking up something you are bad at is an embarrassment that lasts weeks. Never starting anything again is a condition that lasts decades, and it is easy to miss because it arrives quietly, as reasonable decisions not to look foolish, until the muscle for starting has gone. Starting badly is the cheaper of the two by a long way.

Pick one thing you have been putting off because you would visibly be a beginner, and start it this month. Go somewhere you are unlikely to know anyone, if that makes it easier. Accept a few weeks of being the worst in the room, since that is the entire entry fee.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

What would you try now if looking clumsy didn’t matter?

MORE IN ADVERSITY, PRESSURE & RESILIENCE

Free, with nothing to buy inside it.