Trying new things is a great way to increase your self-empowerment. Knowing that you did something gives you confidence to try more new things. You may have to overcome fear in order to do something that seems hard. When I was a DoorMat, I stuck to what was familiar. I didn’t want to risk failing at something I’d never done. It kept me in a box, limiting what I did. There were things I would love to have done but I was too intimidated to try. Then I recognized that there were resources for learning how to do things.

My first venture was taking an auto-mechanics 8-week class at an adult education program.  I was sick of being ripped off by mechanics and wanted to learn about cars. I wasn’t looking to always fix my car. But I wanted to do something. I still remember how I felt when I volunteered to change the brakes on my car. I was both excited and terrified. I reminded myself that the instructor would be watching so I wouldn’t do something wrong that would keep my brakes from working on the way home.

With his guidance, I did it! Pride welled up in me, not just for accomplishing it but for putting my fear of trying aside. After the class I didn’t go on to fix everything on my car. I did change the spark plugs and little things like that a few time. But I felt empowered about knowing the basics of cars. It helped me speak intelligently to my mechanic. And came in handy when my car broke down and I had to rely on a mechanic I didn’t know, He told me he had to replace something that was a very expensive job.

I used what I learned in my classes to ask the right questions and discerned that he was trying to rip a woman off. I asked him to do the smaller work to get the car running and drove it to my trusted mechanic. I was right! They were trying to do work that wasn’t necessary. If I hadn’t taken the auto mechanics class I would have gotten ripped off.

So how can you try something new? I recently got a book called How to Do Absolutely Everything: Homegrown Projects from Real Do-It-Yourself Experts (Skyhorse Publishing).  It has a wild assortment of projects you can do with step-by-step instructions by experts. They range from practical suggestions, like how to remove gum from clothes to crafty suggestions like how to make a sewing organizer to kitchen treats, like how to make authentic pretzels, cake pops and much, much more.

Some of the things are projects for science minded folks, some for pets. But I’ve tackled a few and the instructions are quite clear. However you want to do it, find something new to tackle and do it. It will make a big difference in your confidence! You can learn how to do just about anything if you set your mind to it and look for resources or someone to teach you.
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