How I Got Rejected and Still Walked Out Smiling

A while back, I walked into Starbucks with one goal.

Not for coffee.
Not for conversation.
Just to do something that made me feel… uncomfortable.

So I stepped up to the counter, looked the cashier in the eye, and said:

He blinked.
Paused.
Looked a little confused.

Then asked, “Do you have any valid IDs?”

I didn’t.

I wasn’t a student. Not a senior.

No membership card. No excuse.

Just a guy trying to ask… because asking felt scary.

I told him “no worries,” smiled, and paid full price.

Walked out with my coffee.

And honestly?

I felt a little awkward.
But mostly… I was laughing. Because it didn’t hurt.

No one yelled.

The world didn’t collapse.

That was the “Coffee Challenge” from Noah Kagan.

One of his famous scary reps.

The idea is simple:

You train your discomfort muscle by doing tiny things that embarrass you.

Things that don’t matter… but feel like they do.

And once you do one?

You realize your brain was making it way bigger than it actually was.

That Starbucks moment didn’t change my life.

But it changed my confidence equation.

Because here’s the truth:

And those scary reps?

They’re almost never dangerous.

Just awkward.
New.
Unfamiliar.

The fear doesn’t disappear.

You just grow bigger than it.

So if you’ve been stuck lately…

Overthinking the next step…

Worried what people will think…

Here’s your assignment this week:

Start the conversation.
Send the message.
Post the thing.
Ask the question.
Try the awkward.

Build the muscle.

Then watch what happens.

To your growth,
Vikko