Why We Don't Try New Things

Something happened a few weeks ago that really bothered me, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.  I had a FB memory pop up from last year where I posted a status and it said, “I want to learn to snowshoe and cross country ski this year!  Any tips on what I need, where I can go to get it, and how to get started?”I had loads of comments and advice people gave me on that post.And guess what?  I never did it. I never put myself out there and learned to do something I’ve really wanted to do for a long time.Today, I put out a new podcast where I talk about “Why We Don’t Try New Things”I think the biggest reason is because most of us are experts at avoiding criticism. It doesn’t feel good to fail or to be judged publicly, so we tend to avoid situations where that might happen. We try to delay potential failure.I learned in (one of my favorite books ever) “Atomic Habits” by James Clear that a lot of times we get stuck in motion (planning, strategizing, learning, etc). Instead of actually taking action (doing something that produces a result).  Motion (planning, dreaming) makes you feel like you’re getting things done.  But really, you’re just preparing to get something done.  When preparation becomes a form of procrastination, you need to change something.  You don’t want to merely be planning. You want to be practicing.So that’s what I talk about in my new podcast!  I shared with you how I got all my ski gear on a budget ($47 to be exact!  Which I was super proud of because normally that gear would have been hundreds of dollars).  How I talked a friend to go with me who had also never been skiing, and how we laughed our way through the falls.When you embrace the fact that you are always going to suck at the beginning, everything becomes so much easier.Hope you love this podcast!  If you’ve been putting off trying something new because maybe you are afraid of looking like you don’t know what you are doing, or are feeling timid, or just doing too much “planning” instead of taking action, this podcast will be a fun one for you.Leave a comment and let me know if there’s something you’ve been wanting to do lately that you’ve been putting off!  So much love, Natalie   PS - cross country skiing was a blast and an awesome workout.  If you haven’t tried it yet, you should! I’m so glad I did.