The Importance of Trying (Even When You're Tired of Trying)

“New York will humble you.” It’s quote that gets thrown around a lot and I can’t say I disagree with it. NYC has a way of making even the most confident person feel like they’re constantly one step behind. Just a bit too late, too slow, too much, not enough. And because everything moves so fast, it’s easy to slip into a default of “What’s the point?” Why bother applying for that job when over 9,000 other people already have? Why go to that comedy show when you don’t know anyone? Why keep putting yourself out there when making friends in NYC feels like auditioning for Off-Broadway?

Why? Because you should! That’s it plain and simple. Because without trying what’s the point of being here?

Trying in New York City is rarely glamorous, but it’s often where the good stuff starts. It's what turns eight million strangers into neighbors, coworkers, maybe even friends. A way to remind yourself: I’m still here, and I still care.

Here’s the thing everyone forgets about: trying always gives you something. Even when it doesn’t go the way you hoped. You learn what you like. What you don’t. Where your boundaries are. What you’re ready for. You learn how to sit with discomfort, how to be bold, how to laugh at yourself when something goes sideways.

Think about the last time you did something that felt uncomfortable but you stuck with it anyway. Maybe it was staying at that dinner party where you forgot you agreed to bring dessert and rolled thru with last minute overpriced dusty ass cookies from Gristedes while everyone else brought homemade masterpieces. You lived through the shame, ate the fancy food, and your cookies were gone by the end of the night anyway.

That’s what trying does!! It build evidence. Evidence that you can do awkward and not die. That you’re way more capable than you give yourself credit for. Every day in a city like New York is basically a series of small challenges that prove you can adapt, figure things out, handle more than you realised.

So why not use that same resilience for the bigger stuff??