Not bad for a first time?

THIS. IS. NOT. A. FOOD. BLOG.

I once heard from a former colleague "Not bad for a first time, right?" I was intrigued so I kept on eavesdropping. 😅

For context, she was sharing her first home-baked chocolate chip cookies with our co-workers. She mentioned the difficulty she went through to bake those cookies. During this time, I've baked tens of cookies; we were in the middle of the pandemic and there's nothing else I find worthy of spending my time at home.

Going back to my workmate, she looked genuinely happy with how her first cookies turned out but when I looked at it, they looked like they'd give me a stomachache. They were burnt, small and were broken in a manner that didn't look artsy at all. I don't want to come across as rude and mean but in my head I was like "Do you call this a cookie?" Honestly, I couldn't be happy for her; her first attempt at creating a supposedly yummy treat isn't a success. And in this post, I'll share tidbits of why I think the "Not bad for a first time?" mindset is some times destructive.

Google defines not bad for a first time as "an expression of mild approval, suggesting that an individual's first attempt at something is acceptable or even surprisingly good". Connecting this definition with how my workmate used the same thing in relation to her baked cookies doesn't make sense at all. How could she say it

Here's why I think this mindset, when used thougthlessly, can bring more harm than good.

(1) False positivity
"Who are you trying to kid?" My mind continued screaming in disagreement with my co-worker's statements about her baked goods. I wish I could've taken a photo of it so you'll get where I'm coming from. Her overly positivite outlook at things (including this situation) wasn't helping her at all. Her false positivity is taking away an important moment that could make or break her baking skills.

You're mistaken if you're appeasing yourself for things you've done so bad or don't meet some kind of criteria. First time shouldn't be used as an excuse to fail. B

(2) Deters real and substantial growth
In connection to false positivity, the major drawback of the "Not bad for a first time" mindset is that it deters real and substantial growth. And we are not just talking about baking here, this applies to every skill you're trying to learn for the first time.

If you can't acknowledge where you're lacking at, how can you pinpoint the exact things you need to improve and adjust?

Remember, it doesn't matter if we did bad on the first time we tried doing something new. What matters most is that we acknowledge it, draw inspiration and motivation from it and do better the next time.

Photos on this posts are from my first attempt of making steamed bibingka, a famous rice cake in the Philippines. I was finding the right time and right post to use these photos. They're on point for this post; as you can see above (if you're familiar with steamed bibingka), my finish product didn't rise, they're supposed to resemble a dome on top. This was definitely a failed attempt but I learned a lot from this. I'll redo the recipe soon and will share in a food blog how it'll turn out. Wish me luck!

Don't be afraid to try and fail. Continue improving and you'll get what you want one of these days! Have a great one! :)