Anything new that you try is very likely going to feel awkward at first.
That alone will stop millions of people from making 2025 any different than the last year – or any of the dozens before that.
One of my personal discoveries sometime back was my willingness to let others see me struggle and that has life altering power for someone who once couldn’t bear it.
I don’t mind you seeing me do something awkwardly – anymore than a toddler minds you seeing them fall down once in awhile. Failure is just part of learning.
I know sometimes the fear of feeling awkward isn’t even about being seen – it’s just uncomfortable (even triggering) for some of us to do something that we feel inept at. They put a lot of value on moving through the day doing what they’re good at so they can feel good about themselves.
Honestly, it’s comforting to do what I’m good at – but if I never try learning something new – I’m not growing or discovering something else I might be good at later.
Example: Puff Crochet Flowers  (Not a crafting topic – it’s about mindset.)
Social media scrolling showed me a gorgeous puff flower blanket and I fell in love – but immediately felt intimidated by the thought of creating it. I crochet like a boss but I crochet SIMPLE things like scarves and plain single crochet blankets.
That feeling of intimidation got my attention though – and I decided to pull up a tutorial on youtube.
As I watched nimble fingered people pour out crochet verbiage I don’t know and do things I’ve never done, I almost closed it up and never looked back… but then I used the slow down feature and turned the sound off. That was magic!
I watched the process in slow motion and followed along with my own yarn – very VERY awkwardly.
My fingers didn’t like the movements. My brain didn’t like the counting. My personal sense of loving to do something EASY was not loving it.
Oh… but look at what I’ve done since.
The last couple of puff flowers I worked on last night came easily. The counting patterns are settled into my brain and don’t have to think hard anymore and I’m loving it!
I have been crocheting simply for FIFTY years and only just now have I learned something new.
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing something one way you can decide to play in a new way anytime.
Embrace the awkward.
Feeling inept, having to watch the tutorial half a dozen times, starting over with a deep breath… it’s the freaking awful and devastating beautiful process of developing a new Me Skill.
Most embarrassing moment of 2024: Not knowing the button sequence to start the dishwasher that we got 8 months earlier. I have a terrible habit of forgetting to put the soap in, so I load it and unload it, but rarely start it. My mother laughed pretty hard when I asked.
But anything else – I'm so used to doing unusual things first, I don't care. If others are watching…still don't care. It often results in appreciation or admiration anyway.
Letting others see is struggle and learn gives them freedom to do the same!