When we are learning something new, and we struggle with failures, some of us can easily get unmotivated and convince ourselves that we are simply unskilled at what we are trying to learn, and therefore that there is no point in learning it. "It's useless, I'm not good at it."

Then, there is also the case when you are on the other side of the mirror: When you are (relatively) skilled at something, and you observe someone just beginning to learn it. They stumble over the very first steps, get unmotivated, and conclude that they're simply no good at it. You realize that this is a ridiculous statement, because they did not even get started. They don't realize the size and the depth of the "subject", and they think that because they failed to take a first step once, they can make a statement about their ability in it.

One example I have in mind is a friend of mine who claims to be "bad at chess" because he tried playing 3 games against someone he had just explained the rules to, and lost all 3 games. I keep saying to him: If your experience with chess is having played 3 games, you are in no position to judge whether you are good or bad at chess, as you simply never have played chess — you moved some pieces randomly under some rules for a few minutes.

The analogy that comes to mind in those situations is the one of a young child in the phase where they are expected to start learning to walk. The child would stumble over the first few steps, and declare that they are bad at walking. Fortunately for humanity, children are not wired this way, and they simply try again and again, until they are able to do it. They don't all succeed at the same pace; some need more time or more assistance than others. They don't all proceed to further refine this skill to a mastery level; some will become athletes while others will use it to go calmly from point A to point B. But the point is that 1) Everybody can learn it and 2) The differences in the learning curve don't really matter. In the end, we all become adults with the ability to walk and we don't care (nor do we remember) about our past struggles to acquire this skill.

So the next time you are trying to learn something new, don't give up at the first obstacle. You are at the very elementary phase of the subject, where you have better odds than you think of reaching a basic level, if you succeed in pushing through the novice barrier. To give it your best shot, be like a child: set your ego aside, do not compare yourself to others, accept that failure is part of learning, and have fun trying again and again. After all, you once learned to walk this way.