The Expert Was Once a Beginner

Dear Collective,

Nobody wants to look clumsy. Nobody wants to walk into a room, try something new, and feel completely out of their depth. That internal fear of failure keeps more people stuck in the same spot more than almost anything else.

We look at experts, elite athletes (like resident instructor Katie), or people who have mastered a skill, and we treat them like a different species. We assume they were born with it.

We forget every expert was once a beginner.**

Years ago, I saw a video of a guy doing pushups on the backs of his hands, wrists fully flexed, palms facing up, putting his entire body weight onto a joint. I literally threw up a little bit in my mouth watching it. It looked impossible, unnatural, and downright painful. I couldn't comprehend how a human body could do that.

I was at 0%.

I didn't try to drop down and hammer out twenty wrist pushups that day. If I had, I would have snapped something. Instead, I just started testing the water. Over a couple of months, I would occasionally place the backs of my hands on the mat and see if they could bear even a fraction of my weight.

Once that felt okay, I moved to holding a partial plank. Then a full plank. Then a tiny bend in the elbows. Slowly, methodically, step by step, the progression built up. Today? I can do those same pushups.

I didn't jump from 0% to 100%. I just focused on getting from 1% to 2%.

When you look at a massive goal, a new skill, or a heavy lift, looking at the 100% mark will paralyze you. It feels like an insurmountable wall. So you don't even start.

Here is your guarantee for this week:

When you try something new, mostly likely you are going to be bad at it.

Accept it right now. You are going to look awkward, you are going to struggle, and it is going to feel uncomfortable.

Don't let that stop you.

Stop staring at the top of the mountain. Find your 1% baseline today, and then focus on getting to 2%. Follow in the footsteps of the people who have already done it, put in the unsexy small steps, and remember that every master you admire started at the exact same square one.

With Strength and Simplicity,

Charlie

We, The Collective Fitness