Try things you’re bad at

Do you have an aversion to being bad at things? I think many people do. There things I would never try—not publicly and not even privately—because I’m afraid I’ll be bad at them. 

Why do we need to be good at things in order to try? Why do we need to be good at things to enjoy them? Why can’t we engage with something fun or enjoyable or challenging, that we’re worse at than other people, simply because we’re worse at it? 

A lot of this must come from marketers and advertisers (like me) who leverage identity in order to gain enrollment and increase sales. You can’t just buy a pair of running shoes. You have to become a runner, all of a sudden. Capitalism positions normal things that should be enjoyable to everyone as identity pieces. 

When you try something for the first time, the learning curve is steep. That also means the lessons come quick. If we were all a little more open to trying new things, even things we’re bad at, we’d be learning valuable lessons that could transfer to the things we’re good at.