The problem isn’t that people don’t have access to technology. It’s that they don’t believe they’re allowed to be bad at it first.
I only got better at technology by making errors and hitting ctrl+z to undo. That’s it. That’s the whole secret. Try something, break it, undo it, try again. But most people never give themselves permission to start that cycle.
I spent seven years working at the VA. I watched this happen every day. Extremely smart healthcare workers who handled complicated patient situations would freeze when the computer updated. Not because they couldn’t learn it. Because they were sure there was a right way to do it, and they’d find the wrong way.
They had every tool. They had training. They had help desk numbers and guides and coworkers who figured it out.
What they didn’t have was permission to be bad at it first.
Why Confidence Matters More Than Knowledge
Here’s what really stops people from using tools that could help them:
Fear of expensive mistakes. Small businesses think one wrong click will cost thousands. So they do nothing. They stick with the slow manual way that’s drowning them because at least they know that problem.
Thinking you need to understand everything first. You don’t need to know how email servers work to send an email. You don’t need to understand databases to use a scheduling app. But we think we need a computer science degree just to try something new.
Feeling behind. When everyone around you seems to get technology you don’t understand, it’s easier to pretend you don’t need it. The shame of being a beginner stops more people than actual lack of skill.
Thinking there’s a right way to do this. People wait for someone to tell them the exact correct steps. They want a promise they won’t mess up. That promise doesn’t exist. Waiting for it means staying stuck.
What Changed
Access used to be the problem. If you could afford the computer, the software, the training, you were ahead. That barrier is mostly gone now. Tools are cheaper, often free. Training is everywhere. YouTube will teach you anything.
But we traded one barrier for another. We made technology so powerful and so complex that people freeze. They see what it could do and think about all the ways they could break it. They see others using it easily and think there’s some secret they’re missing.
There isn’t. The people who seem good with technology just gave themselves permission to be terrible at it first. They clicked the wrong buttons. They broke things. They started over. They didn’t wait for permission or perfection.
How To Build Confidence
Start with the smallest possible test. Not the thing that will change your entire business. The thing that takes five minutes and costs nothing if it fails. Build confidence through tiny wins, not big changes.
Stop waiting to understand everything. You don’t need to know how the engine works to drive the car. Use the tool. Learn what you need as you go. Understanding comes after trying, not before.
Give yourself permission to mess up. The wrong way to use a tool teaches you the right way. Every person who seems good with technology has failed more than you know. They just kept trying.
Find one person who’s one step ahead of you. Not an expert. Not someone who makes it look easy. Someone who just figured out what you’re trying to learn and still remembers being confused. They’ll give you the permission you’re waiting for.
Know that figuring it out is the real skill. The specific tool doesn’t matter as much as you think. What matters is building the habit of trying something new, seeing what happens, and adjusting. That works everywhere.
Why This Matters Now
Technology moves faster than training programs can keep up. Waiting for the complete guide or perfect tutorial means waiting forever. The people who do well aren’t the ones who know the most. They’re the ones who are comfortable not knowing and trying anyway.
The real gap isn’t about who has technology. It’s about who believes they’re allowed to try it. Who gives themselves permission to be a beginner. Who treats “I don’t know how yet” as the start instead of the end.
You don’t need more knowledge. You need more confidence.
And confidence comes from trying, not from waiting until you’re ready. You’ll never feel completely ready. Try anyway.
The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is now. Pick the smallest thing. Give yourself permission to mess it up. See what happens.
That’s how everyone else figured it out too.