The goal of the first attempt is to learn. We do that when we give ourselves the space to understand what we’re up against.
On our first day in a new place, we’re going to make mistakes. If we’re a tourist, we’ll have to keep that sheepish tourist grin handy as we figure stuff out.
If we’re operating a machine for the first time or trying out a new process, we’re not going to figure out the optimal approach till we try it once or twice.
Best to approach the first time with a gentle reminder to cut ourselves some slack when we’re attempting something for the first time.
Focus on the learning. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to optimize later.
