Itβs 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, βOh no, Iβve made the wrong decision. This isnβt for me.β
At times like this, itβs wise to remember this mantra: βFirst day, worst day” β in which the βdayβ really stands in for the first week, month, or even year in which youβre 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; itβs the sensation of the effort inevitably required in clearing a new one.
How heartening it is to know that itβs all downhill from here! As you put in more hours, more practice, youβll become increasingly effective, efficient, and skilled.
Proficiency will unlock pleasures in your pursuit that your noob-ness currently bars.
Youβll be surprised not only by how much more youβll 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, donβt jump ship just yet.
While this may or may not ultimately be the right course for you, itβs only time, and not your initial feelings, which will tell.