Getting a little lost in a new neighborhood alone teaches you that you can find your way back. Literally and otherwise.

Confidence is mostly a record of times you got yourself out of something. Being briefly lost and then not lost adds a real entry to that record, which beats being told you are capable. The lesson is not about streets but about the gap between a problem and its solution being survivable.

Take an unfamiliar route home this week and stay turned around a while before checking the map. Notice what you do with the discomfort, whether you panic, ask somebody, or read the signs. You will do the same thing in bigger situations, so it is worth knowing.