Since moving to Denton I’ve wanted to start riding my bike more instead of continuing the habit of hopping in the car to drive 5 minutes downtown. I’ve tried setting myself up for success by keeping my bike in the living room. My hope was that I’d think about it more and that making it as easy as possible to roll it out for a ride would reduce the friction enough, but that still didn’t start a new habit.
I didn’t realize until today how afraid I was of riding around the city. I noticed today because I finally overcame my fear and I did that in two steps.
First, I went out and rode with groups of other bikers a couple times. Seeing other people safely and happily biking made it feel safe for me.
Second, I pushed myself a little and rode my bike across town in spite of the fear. Safely making that journey boosted my confidence and wiped out my fear.
So if you aren’t starting that new thing that you want to do and you aren’t sure why, think about whether you are afraid. If so, find a way to do the new thing with a friendly and accepting group to start out. And then push yourself a little, before you are fully comfortable, and build up your confidence.