I confidently step towards new things

The first hour of anything new is awkward, and no amount of confidence removes that. New gym, new job, new language — you will be visibly bad at it, and other people will see.

Confidence isn't feeling competent before you are. It is a willingness to be a beginner in public for a while, which is a different and much rarer thing.

Beginners have one advantage worth spending: nobody expects anything, so questions are free.

If you step into something new today, ask the dumb question in the first ten minutes. It gets more expensive every hour you wait.