Be Bad at Something

It’s something that as adults most people never experience, or want to experience. The sensation of being bad at something and seeing everyone else seemingly finding it easier that you. But anything new requires being bad before being some level of good.

I’ve tried over the past few years to find new things to be bad at. Some I just couldn’t stomach the process of improvement - my experience learning to surf was unpleasant in almost every way, and I couldn’t face the process of trying to get better and having that sensation of failing until I got better. But other things I found enjoyment in the process itself. Things like learning to ride horses, learning to code, aerial arts, running. All things that started out awful and only seeing the uphill path ahead, but where I enjoyed the act of being bad and improving enough to continue on with it. It’s a uniquely humbling experience to fumble at the simple concepts of something. At least for myself, it’s provided a good insight to the challenges that learners face, and I’ve found that in turn when teaching others that I can better empathise and inform them to help that journey for others. Even just the reassurance that they’re not behind where they’re expected to be or that you can see improvement is a huge boost for anyone learning something new and confirmation that they’re making the progress you expect them to make.

Find something to be bad at and worth the effort to improve on. It’s an experience most people avoid but it can change your perspective entirely.