It’s your first day doing a new job, taking a new class, trying a new workout, stepping into a new role, visiting a new church, attempting a new routine, comforting a crying newborn.
You feel awkward. You feel dumb. You feel lost, clunky, self-conscious.
In seeps a sense of dread, regret, even panic. You think, “Oh no, I’ve made the wrong decision. This isn’t for me.”
At times like this, it’s wise to remember this mantra: “First day, worst day” — in which the “day” really stands in for the first week, month, or even year in which you’re trying something new.
In any endeavor that you will ultimately stick with for the long-term, there will always be an element of, if not love, then like at first sight. But, nothing is entirely comfortable at the start.
Every new pursuit involves learning new expectations, patterns, habits, rhythms, and arts, and this learning curve can often feel overwhelming.
But discomfort is not necessarily the feeling of having taken the wrong path; it’s the sensation of the effort inevitably required in clearing a new one.
How heartening it is to know that it’s all downhill from here! As you put in more hours, more practice, you’ll become increasingly effective, efficient, and skilled.
Proficiency will unlock pleasures in your pursuit that your noob-ness currently bars.
You’ll be surprised not only by how much more you’ll enjoy things once you master the lay of the land, but how much the possession of competence and confidence itself will serve as a source of satisfaction.
So, don’t jump ship just yet.
While this may or may not ultimately be the right course for you, it’s only time, and not your initial feelings, which will tell.
