Go Easy On Me, It’s My First Time

Can you remember the first time you hit a baseball? How about learning to ride a bike?

What do you remember about your first swimming lesson, first time going off a diving board, first experience on ice skates, first day shooting an arrow, initial bounces on a trampoline, first time on rings, swings, balance beam, pogo stick, or unicycle? In all likelihood, you don’t remember the first time at all, yet the neurological experience was nearly off the charts in terms of the sheer quantity of sensory input and assessment of motor information that was being processed. In terms of a learning curve, the growth was practically vertical. The sheer mass of new information can only matched, perhaps, by stepping into a completely foreign land. And, say the people who study learning and personal growth, such experiences are really good for us.

If you tend to be the type of person who is really comfortable with your chosen physical activities, tending to do the same things again and again, I strongly encourage you to try something new. You may find, as in the old Alka-Seltzer commercials, that if you just “Try it, you’ll like it.” The sense of accomplishment when doing something new is profound, and does great things for your self-esteem. Studying may not be fun, and can even be uncomfortable to the point of pain, but there are few feelings better than when you make the breakthrough and finally understand the concept you are pursuing. Who knows, you may find that the new activity actually becomes your favorite, at least for a while. Break out of our routine, and try a new activity. You’ll likely have a ton of fun, and the learning will help you in everything else you do.