I broke four bones learning to ride a motorbike five months ago.
This week, finally, I began learning again. Scooter this time.
Did some straight lines and big turns.
Whilst I was practising, I watched others drift motorbikes, knees nearly touching the ground.
And my brain: You can barely ride straight. They’re doing tricks. You’re so far behind.
Sound familiar?
You make progress. Real progress. Then immediately compare it to someone else’s mastery.
This week: why baby steps always feel like failure—and why that’s the trap.
Today in 6 minutes or less, you’ll learn:
✔️ How to give your nervous system something safe and joyful to anticipate
✔️ What fear or trauma is quietly holding you back from trying new things
✔️ Why baby steps feel humiliating (and why comparison steals every win)
Doable ideas 💭
Intentionally put one small thing in your calendar (in the near future) that gives you excitement, connection, or delight.
I have things ranging from trying a new cafe, going on a mini golf date, to Vivid Sydney (how is it that time of the year again?) and a trip to Uluru in 2 months.
Wellbeing is not only about reducing stress. It is also about giving your nervous system something safe and joyful to anticipate.
Reflections 🪞
What traumas or fears are currently holding me back from trying something new? What would feel safe and supportive as I move forward?
Mindfulness 🧘🏻♀️
I went back to scooter practice this week.
First time since 29 November 2025, when I broke four bones in my left hand learning manual motorbike.
Five months later. Switching to scooter this time. Absolutely terrifying.
Okay, let’s be honest: learning a new physical skill after 30 is hard enough.
Learning it after trauma? Your brain is actively protecting you.
Every time I got on the scooter, my body remembered: This is where you got hurt. This will happen again.
Not rational. But real.
After many attempts, I finally felt confident riding straight lines.
The next day, I was doing straight lines plus big turns.
The voice that steals the win
Victory, right?
Not according to my brain.
Well, you should have done this five months ago. You failed the remedial course. Now you’re only riding straight lines. Anyone can do that. How long until you’re actually on the road?
I immediately caught myself.
I’ve fallen into this trap so many times.
Despite progress—real, measurable progress—my brain had to criticise. Compare reality to the ideal.
The comparison thief
Whilst practising, I watched others on motorbikes. Drifting. Knees nearly touching the ground. Doing tricks.
And there I was. Riding straight lines.
The comparison was immediate. Automatic. Cruel.
They’re doing that. You can barely do this.
The lesson I keep forgetting
This was déjà vu.
When I started calisthenics in 2022, my first goal was one pull-up.
I brought a stool and resistance bands to the park every morning during winter.
And every morning, I watched guys of all ages do pull-ups effortlessly.
Whilst I struggled with negatives. Grip strength. Band-assisted attempts.
It felt humiliating practising in public.
But here’s what I understood then—and forgot until now:
Everyone is on their own journey.
The guys doing pull-ups easily? They all started somewhere. Probably struggled too. Most were kind enough to give advice.
They’d been where I was.
All progressions matter.
Building back muscles. Focusing on negatives. Improving grip strength.
It all starts with baby steps.
What baby steps actually mean
At that moment on the scooter, I understood again.
Baby steps matter.
I have to ride straight lines before I can turn. Before I can handle slopes. Before I can avoid obstacles.
And I have my own pace. There is no timeline.
We’re all naturally good at something and terrible at another.
That’s okay.
Baby steps mean you’re showing up.
You’re trying. You’re making things happen.
And that’s a win. Because you didn’t give up.
The trap we all fall into
Here’s what happens:
You make progress. Real progress.
Then immediately compare it to someone else’s mastery.
Your baby step vs. their expertise.
Your beginning vs. their middle or end.
And the progress—real, hard-won progress—gets dismissed.
Anyone can do that. You should be further along. Look at them.
The comparison thief steals every win.
What to remember
The person doing tricks on the motorbike? They started with straight lines too.
The person doing effortless pull-ups? They started with negatives and bands.
The person who seems miles ahead? They have their own struggles you can’t see.
Everyone is on their own journey.
Your baby step is still a step.
Your progress is still progress.
Even if it feels small. Even if others are further along. Even if you “should” be somewhere else by now.
Your turn
What baby step are you dismissing right now?
What progress are you not counting because it doesn’t match the ideal?
What skill are you learning—or want to learn—but the comparison is stopping you?
Baby steps aren’t humiliating. They’re how everything starts.
The only people who judge baby steps are people who’ve forgotten they took them too.
This week
Celebrate one baby step. Yours.
Not where you “should” be. Not compared to anyone else.
Just: you couldn’t do this before. You can do it now.
That counts.
You’re showing up. You’re trying. You’re making progress.
That’s the win.
Ideas Worth Pondering 🧠
It’s better to be continually in awe and appreciation of your life, as well as boosted by your past, rather than bummed by your life, and plagued by your past.
– Unknown
Did you love this article?
If so, please let me know by either:
- #1: Forwarding this to a friend whom you think would benefit from actionable well-being tips
- #2: Hitting reply. Send me a sentence or two about what you enjoyed. I meant it when I say I’d love to hear from you. Typing into the void isn’t nearly as fun as interacting with real humans 🙂