Podcast #673

BEING NEW OR BAD AT SOMETHING

Ever held back because you didn’t want to look bad or feel like the beginner in the room? In this episode, I share my own story of jumping into a hockey pick-up game where I was far from the best on the ice—and why that experience taught me more about confidence than any win ever could.

 

We’ll unpack why being “bad” is actually the gateway to growth, how to reframe the awkwardness of starting something new, and why the willingness to be seen as a beginner is one of the boldest moves you can make.

 

Whether you’re starting a new habit, stepping into a fresh season of life, or simply tired of waiting until you’re perfect to take action, this episode will give you the mindset shifts you need to show up anyway.

On Embracing Being a Beginner

• “Every master was once a beginner. Every pro started as an amateur.” – Unknown
• “The expert in anything was once a beginner.” – Helen Hayes
• “All beginnings are hard.” – Chaim Potok
• “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
• “A year from now you will wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb

On Humility & Growth

• “To learn, you have to be willing to look foolish.” – Unknown
• “Great things never come from comfort zones.” – Unknown
• “Mistakes are proof that you are trying.” – Jennifer Lim
• “Discomfort is the currency of growth.” – Brooke Castillo

Big Idea

• Confidence isn’t about being the best — it’s about being willing.
• Being new (or bad) at something is the price of entry to growth.
• When you avoid being bad, you also avoid being better.

 
Lessons from the Hockey Example

• Humility: Every expert started out as a beginner.
• Playfulness: It’s okay to laugh at yourself and just enjoy being out there.
• Courage: Showing up when you’re new is a form of boldness.
• Progress: Each “bad rep” is actually a good rep in disguise.

The Mind Games of Being a Beginner

• Confidence crash when you’re used to excelling.
• Comparison trap: your 0 years vs their 20+ years.
• The embarrassment loop: mistakes feel magnified, and you overanalyze.
• Key reframe: Your brain equates “struggling” with “failure,” but really, it’s just learning in motion.

Why Being Bad is the Secret to Growth

• Comfort zones never stretch you—discomfort does.
• Being “bad” strips away ego and builds resilience.
• Every expert was once a beginner (storytelling moment: highlight a sport, business, or personal growth example).
• Confidence doesn’t come from doing things perfectly; it comes from showing up imperfectly and surviving it.

How to Reframe the Embarrassment

• Practical reframe 1: “They’re not judging me—they’re just playing their own game.”
• Practical reframe 2: “Every mistake I make now is a deposit in my future skill bank.”
• Practical reframe 3: “I’m not behind; I’m in training.”
• Talk about your own “in the moment” thought struggles on the ice and how you self-coach with reframes.

The Payoff of Choosing to Be a Beginner

• Builds true inner confidence—not the kind built on natural ability.
• Strengthens grit and humility.
• Makes you more empathetic toward others who are new or struggling.
• Gives you proof that you can be bad at something and still keep showing up—a transferable skill to any area of life.

Takeaway & Challenge to Listener

• Ask: “Where in your life are you avoiding being bad because you want to skip to being good?”
• Encourage: Take one action this week that puts you back in beginner shoes.
• Remind: Being the worst isn’t a weakness—it’s a training ground for the kind of confidence that lasts.

Practical Confidence Takeaways

• Reframe failure → it’s not proof you can’t, it’s proof you’re trying.
• Track growth → compare to your past self, not others.
• Practice identity shift → “I’m the kind of person who is willing to be new.”
• Use micro-mantras like: “Bad is the beginning.”

Broader Applications

• Relating this to business, relationships, fitness, or creativity.
• Anytime you feel “new” or “bad,” you’re building the muscle of resilience and narrative intelligence.

AND then as I drove from the hockey rink to church, I assessed

-what did I do well

-what could I do better

-what will I do differently (or what do I need to practice and prioritize)

AND THEN I asked myself today:

-what are my goals with hockey?

-what do I want to be able to do in 1 year and then in 5 years?

PERFECTIONISM RELEASE 

3-Questions

PODs

333 Method 

Links:

www.trishblackwell.com/stopcaring

www.trishblackwell.com/formula

www.collegeofconfidence.com