Why Getting Worse Means You're Getting Better

If you've ever been to the batting cages, you might remember this.

You step in. The ball looks impossibly fast. You swing and miss. Swing and miss again.

Someone gives you a tip. Keep your eye on the ball. Rotate your hips. Follow through.

You try it. And — crack — you hit the ball out of the park.

You feel incredible. A natural. Maybe this is easier than you thought.

Then you swing again. Miss. Miss. Miss. What happened?

Why Beginner's Luck Feels Like Magic

I used to think beginner's luck was the universe throwing us a bone. A little gift to keep us going. A taste of success to hook us before the hard part begins.

Maybe there's something to that. But I think something else is happening too.

Why did that first swing work? Think about it.

You were empty. No baggage. No overthinking. Someone said "rotate your hips" and you just... did it. Your body followed instructions without your brain getting in the way.

Beginner's luck isn't luck. It's your brain before it started overcomplicating things.

What Happens After the Lucky Hit

Here's where it gets interesting.

After that first success, your mind wants to understand. It starts breaking down the instructions. Analyzing. Dissecting.

Okay, rotate my hips — but how much? When exactly? What about my hands? Where should my weight be?

Suddenly there are a hundred variables. And the more you think about each one, the worse you get.

This is the valley. The frustrating part where you were better on day one than you are on day ten.

It feels like you're going backwards. But you're not.

The Valley Is Where Learning Actually Happens

Your brain is doing something important in that valley. It's filling in the blanks.

The simple instruction — "rotate your hips" — worked once. But it was incomplete. Your brain knows that now. So it's building out the full picture, testing variables, failing on purpose to figure out what matters.

This is messy. It feels terrible. But it's the only way to move from lucky hit to repeatable skill.

The struggle after beginner's luck isn't failure. It's your brain doing the real work.

How This Shows Up in Writing, Business, and Creative Work

In writing: Your first chapter might flow out easily. Then chapter two is impossible. You knew how to write when you weren't thinking about how to write. Now you're thinking. That's not regression — that's growth starting.

In business: Your first sale might come weirdly fast. Then you can't close anything for months. You're no longer winging it. You're learning what actually works. The valley is where systems get built.

In any creative work: That early piece that surprised you? You didn't know enough to overthink it. Now you know more, which means more variables, which means more struggle. Temporarily.

Why This Matters for Beginners

If you're in the valley right now — worse than you were at the start — I want you to know this is normal.

You're not broken. You didn't lose your talent. You're just in the part where your brain is catching up to your ambition.

The beginner's luck showed you what's possible. The struggle after is how you learn to get there on purpose.

Keep swinging.

Your brain is filling in the blanks. One day soon, the swing will click again. And this time, you'll know why.

Try This Today

If you're stuck in the valley — worse than when you started — take a breath.

Write down what you're overcomplicating. All the variables swirling in your head.

Then pick just one. Focus on that. Let the rest go fuzzy for now. Sometimes the way out of overthinking is thinking about less.

What felt easy at first that's hard now?