It was a week of firsts again for me.  First time in a wetsuit.  First time paddle boarding.  First time spending substantial time in Lake Superior in November. 

(First time falling over and over again in Lake Superior in November.)

As an overachiever, it's hard for me to start new things.  Especially because I know I'm going to be bad at them.  And nobody likes being bad at things.  I like to be great at things.

But man, life is going to be pretty boring for me if I stick to things I'm good at doing.

Besides, there's no such thing as being bad at something you've only just started.  When it comes to beginning a skill, there's only new, and then there's experienced.  Not bad or good.

So the first time I fell in the lake and got back up again, I made a conscious decision to stop qualifying my abilities. After all, I wasn't a bad paddle boarder.  I was just a person out on the water learning to paddle board by trial and error.

Lots and lots of error. But I was new to the damn sport, so I was bound to fall.  And when I looked at it that way, I was able to enjoy the rest of my time on the board.  Simply because I stopped caring how "good" I was doing.  

Reader, if you're a fellow overachiever, don't let being new to something stop you from trying it.  Life is a lot more fun when you permit yourself to be a beginner, to learn, and to go easy on yourself in the process.  I hope you have a great week, and I'll see you next Monday. -Em