When I was 18, I had contemplated wearing contact lenses for at least a couple of years. I had a hunch that I’d look a little better without glasses. But I’d gotten familiar with wearing them, and I didn’t know if the effort put into wearing contact lenses would be worth it. This sense of lukewarm conviction and overestimating difficulty created inertia.

That summer, a friend of mine—who wore contact lenses—suggested that I’d look good in them. I shared my hesitation with them, that I wasn’t sure it was worth the effort learning to put them on. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

We both knew tons of people who wore contact lenses. He told me that there were thousands of people at our school who wore contact lenses, and they could not be smarter than me. If they could figure out how to do it, I could definitely figure it out as well.

A week or two later, I bought contact lenses. I wore them for many years until the pandemic. I wore them to parties, video shoots, and events. I wore them on the first date with the woman who became my wife. I found out I did look better without glasses. I gained more confidence.

The lesson wasn’t just about contact lenses. It was for me to be mindful of underestimating myself or overestimating a difficult task.

It was, also, to more realistically assess my own capability to do new things. What if, instead of spending years assuming wearing contact lenses would be difficult, I just went to the store and gave it a try?

Lastly, be open about your problems. Observe what other people are doing.

“Why not you?” is a great question to ask yourself. It’s a gift my friend gave me, and it’s a gift you can easily pass along.

If the average person can figure out how to put contact lenses on, so could I. I had nothing to lose, and so much to gain.