Sometimes You Can Just Learn by Doing

I'm not very technological, but I have kept up with the things I want and need to be able to do by just trying them out. I remember when I first started using a computer, I was afraid that I'd touch some button and do irreparable harm. Little by little, I found that it isn't very easy to destroy a computer with the touch of a button, and so my confidence with that has increased such that I rarely look at the keyboard. I know this is an elementary example, but it's the first one I remember dealing with where there was a hurdle of fear in the way of learning.
More recently, I got a cell phone and found that it wasn't much good if I didn't have people's phone numbers at my fingertips. I had to learn how to program the numbers in, and I put it off longer than I should have, and that delay caused a nuisance; promptness would have supplanted that nuisance with a convenience. I finally sat down to learn how, and found that it was just a matter of intention and attention. Technology is almost always intended for convenience, so learning to do things is generally user-friendly and intuitive. You might need someone to just sit down with you for a few minutes and get you off to an easy start, but once you know, you're equipped. Even my 80-year-old mom now knows how to program her phone, but she just did the other day so she'd be ready to go on a trip. She's had a cell phone for years and never had the convenience of the numbers in it.
Learning by doing also applies to blogging. Blogger.com makes blogging pretty easy; just sign on and follow the instructions. If you have trouble, they have help links; for that matter, there are lots of bloggers around and you could ask for help from someone you know. From my own experience, I just tried it out, and kept doing it. Now I have four blogs going, one of which I've had for a number of years.
Learning by doing isn't just for technology; here I am a "housewife," but I've fixed appliances, plumbing, and lamps, refinished furniture and used various power tools, not because I was taught to do any of it, but because I just started and kept going until it was done. Not very often have I ever gotten stuck or caused more harm than good. (Sometimes I wish I didn't know how to do these things, because then all the maintenance ends up being my job; but still it has saved me a lot of money and the frustration of dealing with repair people.)
My point in writing this is that if there is something that has just immobilized you because you're afraid to start, I recommend that you get whatever minimal help you need and just try it. Get an instruction booklet; go online and google for an instructional video; even take your gadget to the library or to a store where they sell the things, and ask someone. I find that techies in stores are almost always happy to share what they know. Chances are, though, that if you just sit down with a cup of coffee and try pushing the buttons or connecting the plugins that make the most sense, in many cases, you can figure it out on your own. If not, then you can always find help somewhere. Once you figure it out, it will build your confidence for the next thing.