The Embarrassment Paradox
Growth requires exactly what competence forbids: being witnessed in your incompetence. We perform our existing skills rather than develop new ones because we've confused the symptom of learning—looking foolish—with evidence that we shouldn't be learning at all. The discomfort of being seen whilst struggling isn't the enemy of transformation; it's transformation's essential condition. We become ourselves not in private rehearsal but in public stumbling, where our self-image cracks open to reveal actual capacity. What you're not learning because you're afraid to be seen learning it is precisely what would make you less afraid of being seen.