Weekly Lesson #6

Introduction

You’re going to look stupid—and that’s the price of growth.

Every time you try something new, whether it’s starting a business, hitting the gym, or speaking up in a room full of strangers, you begin as a fool. That’s not an insult—it’s a requirement. Jordan Peterson puts it simply: “The willingness to be a fool is the precursor to development.”

This post is about why embracing that awkward, clumsy starting phase is the only way to improve anything in your life. Too many people never begin because they’re afraid of looking dumb—and that fear keeps them stuck.

By the end of this post, you’ll see why being a fool is not just okay, but necessary—and how accepting that can free you to finally start what you’ve been avoiding.

The Lesson

“Be willing to look like a fool”

ZBLessons #6

This lesson is about accepting the uncomfortable truth that all growth starts with inadequacy.

When you begin something new, you’ll look lost, make mistakes, and feel out of place. There’s a messy phase where nothing feels natural, you don’t know what you’re doing, and it shows. Whether it’s your first time in the gym, learning a new sport, or (like me) writing blog posts for the first time, that early stage is always awkward.

The problem is, most people don’t want to go through that. They’re not willing to look clumsy or feel like a beginner. But if you want to become great at anything, you have to be willing to be bad at it first. People want the results, but not the process. They want mastery without the mess—and that’s just not how development works.

That’s where so many people get stuck. They set meaningful goals, goals that could genuinely change their life—but when the discomfort of feeling like a fool kicks in, they give up. Not because the goal wasn’t worth it, but because they weren’t willing to go through what it takes to get there.

I’ve fallen into that trap before. When I wanted to start a social media page and this blog, I held myself back for a long time.

I was too focused on what other people might think. I wasn’t willing to look like a fool in the beginning—and that fear stopped me from even starting.

But after overcoming this, I can tell you there’s an upside: the more willing you are to embrace the awkwardness, the easier it gets.

The mistakes become less drastic. The lessons become smaller. The setbacks feel less overwhelming.

Over time, the adjustments you need to make to your goals when you make a mistake become less extreme and the overall mistakes you make decrease too.

You move from giant course corrections and consistent errors to smarter, more refined tweaks and more success.

And maybe—if you stick with that process for long enough—you’ll find yourself becoming a master.

How To Apply This Lesson

1.Control the Controllables

When you start something new, you won’t hit all your goals straight away. Your performance might suck—and that’s out of your control. What is in your control is your methods, work rate, mindset, and your consistency.

So one thing I like to do is change my goals from performance related goals (such as get a certain amount of views/followers on my blog) to more controllable goals. Instead of obsessing over results, I focus on simply doing my personal best. That’s all that really matters in the beginning. For me, that looks like being consistent in posting on my blog every week instead of obsessing over the performance of the post in terms of views.

I instead take pride in the fact that I’ve shown up consistently and stayed committed to learning, no matter the outcome.

For more advice on controlling the controllable, click here to check out this post: Control the Controllable: The Powerful Key to Success

2. Filter judgement

One of the hardest parts about being a beginner is caring too much about what others think. But not all judgement is worth your time. You need to learn how to filter it.

Becoming good at filtering judgement is a very hard skill to master and one that I am definitely still working on (you could say I’m in the fools stage of this skill).

It’s hard not to care what others think, especially when you’re putting yourself out there. But this is the principle I try to come back to:

If someone’s opinion isn’t helping me grow, then it doesn’t deserve my attention.

I try to remind myself that unless a judgment is genuinely helpful—as in, it’s aiming to improve me—I shouldn’t waste energy on it.

And even when someone is trying to help, I’ve learned to ask myself: Are they actually in a position to? Do they know enough about me, my situation, or the thing I’m working on to give useful advice? If not, I still respect their intention—but I don’t have to take it on board.

A useful judgment doesn’t have to be nice either. It can be tough to hear, and still be exactly what I need. Some of the most uncomfortable feedback I’ve received has also been the most important. I try to stay open to that, even when it stings.

At the end of the day, I’m trying to build the mindset that no one’s opinion can harm me—it can only help me, or be irrelevant. That is the principal, it’s either helpful or irrelevant.

And while I’m not perfect at living that out yet, the more I practice it, the freer and more authentic I feel.

Here is my favourite quote on dealing with the judgement of others by, the 26th President of the USA, Theodore Roosevelt (the man in the AI painting image at the start of this post) –

(Photo from my Dads office)

Conclusion

Whether it’s starting a blog, launching a project, learning a skill, or chasing a goal, the beginning will feel messy. You’ll doubt yourself. You’ll feel exposed. But that’s the point. Because every master was once a beginner who dared to look like a fool and kept going anyway.

The real losers are the ones that don’t even start because they are so scared

So start. Be bad. Be awkward. Be seen trying.

On the other side of that discomfort is growth, clarity, and a version of you that’s just a little more capable than before.

And one day, you’ll realise—you’re not the fool anymore.