The Embarrassing First Step

Melanie Perkins has a framework for turning ideas into reality. She calls it 'chaos to clarity' - every big idea starts as a mess that slowly gets shaped into something real.

But here's what she admits about that first step:

'That very first step at the far end of chaos was quite an embarrassing step actually, because you don't have mastery at that point. You don't have all the answers.'

This is what we forget to tell kids. We show them the polished version. The finished drawing. The completed LEGO set. We don't show them the embarrassing first attempt.

When your child tries something new and it looks... rough. When they want to quit because it's not good. When they're embarrassed by their own beginning.

This is the moment. This is where you tell them: the founder of a $40 billion company says the first step always feels embarrassing. That's not a sign you're doing it wrong. That's how every single good thing starts.