When I started as editor-in-chief this semester, I had little idea of what I was supposed to do.
I was a 16-year-old with no management experience, leading a team of two dozen-plus college-age volunteers.
I was overwhelmed and uncertain. I second-guessed my decision to put myself in a position to try something so far out of my comfort zone.
As my first month wore on and we started getting behind on the work of putting out digital and print editions of the student newspaper, I was sure I would go down in our archives as the first editor ever who couldn’t get the newspaper out on time.
But then a funny thing happened. The newspaper came out on time. And I got used to my new job.
The work that had seemed stressful and scary became manageable, and I got to focus on the tasks that I really love: writing stories and mentoring new reporters.
With my first paper as editor-in-chief sitting comfortably on the newsracks, I realized that by some miracle, I wasn’t new at this anymore. I knew what I was doing now, sort of.
After all this, my dad pointed out something that really made me think. The exact same thing, he reminded me, had happened the last time I started a new job.
I worked as a fitness instructor at the YMCA last school year. When I started that, I struggled in the exact same way.
I had never worked a job before on a set schedule. I didn’t fully understand the expectations, and I accidentally ended up teaching a rock climbing class with no idea what I was supposed to be doing.
But again, after a month or two of the insidious thought that I should never have even tried to get a job, I got used to it.
All of sudden, my job became a fun and fulfilling way to teach kids.
This same pattern has repeated countless times. When I started rock climbing, I was terrified to take my feet off the ground. Now I take 15-foot falls without blinking an eye.
Starting new things is really hard. But it’s also how I’ve had some of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.
So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. And if learning something new seems insurmountable, don’t give up on yourself. You might just figure it out.