How do I overcome my "not good enough" feeling in everything I do?
I used to feel like this all the time as a teen.
This is part 4 of 4 of a series called, “You Can.”
In case you missed it, here’s part 1, 2, and 3.
Next week, I start a new 8 part series called, “From Nothing to Something.” I’ll rotate each week between inspirational-ish talk and hyper-concrete tactics/stories from my personal journey.
When little kids learn to ride their bikes, usually they're not very good.
Usually they fall.
And then they fall again.
And again.
But they keep getting back on to try again because they intrinsically believe, "I can do it!" usually on the basis that they've seen other people ride bikes, and because there often is a parent, sibling, or friend that is cheering them on.
But let's think about this... when that kid falls off the bike 1 time, 5 times, 10 or times, do you think they ever tell themselves "Man, I'll never be a successful cyclist" or "Gee, I'm hesitant to keep learning how to ride a bike -- everyone else has done it, I definitely won't ever be as successful as them."
Sounds silly, right?
Yup.
You don't seem to understand that everybody has had to go through a journey. No one was born 'successful'. Even if you are born into the "right" family and surrounded with the "right" resources, that doesn't mean you'll be successful. You still have to put in the work.
Look at this:
If you grow 1% everyday (1.01^365), by the end of a year, you'll be 37.8 times further ahead than where you began.
You're selling yourself short by giving up on day 10 or day 20.
No one built anything extraordinary in a week.
The Great Wall wasn't conceived and built in a month.
Neither were the Great Pyramids.
Nor were any successful companies built overnight.
Check this video of a guy and his first 30 days learning how to spin on an acrobatic (Cyr) wheel:
What would happen if he gave up after Day 3 on the premise that "I'll never be as good as professional acrobats?"
I'll tell you what.
Day 30 would never exist.
Incremental growth is how life works.
If we only did things that we were naturally good at, we would all be depressed.
I would not be an entrepreneur, I would not be a speaker, I would not be writing, and I definitely would not be a Top Writer if I thought the way you thought.
Change your thinking, change your life.
Learn to embrace the awkwardness of learning something new and you'll be able to master almost anything you set your mind to.
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