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When you are trying something new, whether it’s budgeting, bread baking, menu planning, cooking, sewing, or any number of other things, you should expect to be rather terrible at first.
Very few people are experts at things right away, and you are probably no exception.
If you expect greatness at your first attempt, you will be prone to quitting when your first efforts don’t meet your standards.
(“I’m a failure! I’ll never be able to do this! How come everyone else is good at this and I’m not?”)
But if you can look at your iffy first attempts as normal steps on the way to mastery, you will be motivated to carry on.
In The Little Book of Talent, Daniel Coyle says, “Treat your early efforts as experiments, not verdicts.”
In other words, if your first loaf of bread is a little flat, here’s what it doesn’t mean: You’re never going to be able to make a good loaf of bread.
It just means that you are a beginner, and beginners do not produce loaves that are as good as an experienced baker’s loaves.
Most of us can develop good skills if we will hang in there and practice.
And coming into that practice with some reasonable expectations can actually help us want to keep on practicing.
P.S. This post is not about baking per se, but in case you’re interested in taking up yeast baking, here’s a list of all my yeast bread recipes.
If you want some no-knead beginner recipes, you could try:
or
And probably the easiest kneading bread recipe I have is the one for French bread.
Carolyn Rault
Thursday 25th of April 2019
I was unable to pin all your bread recipes at once by clicking on the top picture. Is it working?
Kristen
Thursday 25th of April 2019
Hmm. If you pin that photo, it should pin the page where my bread recipes are linked.
Stephanie
Wednesday 24th of April 2019
This is a concept I repeat constantly to my 5 year old (tomorrow!) daughter. Things get better with practice. I'm usually pretty good at remembering this for myself...mostly because I'm stubborn and refuse to be defeated by whatever project I'm currently attempting. Doesn't mean there aren't a few tears and screams of frustration along the way, though. ;)
Jenny
Wednesday 24th of April 2019
This is encouraging and gives me hope! Some things just come easy to me, like cooking and baking, so I think that sewing and home repairs should also be naturally easy for me and get frustrated! I will be more patient with myself and others. Now I just need to find the time to practice skills! And that in itself (time management) is a skill, so...
Kristyna
Tuesday 23rd of April 2019
mhmm... I often have to remind myself of this as I homeschool my kids. Somehow I think that they should know all the things that I have mentioned once or twice. I forget that they're beginners at this whole learning thing.
What I find boring, is important practice for them.
This, of course, also relates to my own life. I've been dabbling in playing the ukelele for a year or so, but ain't that great. I have to remind myself that practice does matter and simply knowing where my fingers should go does not translate into them actually going there.
Deidre
Tuesday 23rd of April 2019
What do you mean I'm not going to be an expert on my first go?!! I love this post - so timely for me thank you, I feel so much better about some of my failures right now & inspired to go learn something :)