The Power of Trying: Why You Must Take Leaps Into Unknown Territory The more we take risks and search for new passions, the more versatile and capable and satisfied we'll be tomorrow.

In 1894, a New York Times writer warned against the dangers of riding a bicycle, predicting that it would lead to "weakness of mind, general lunacy and homicidal mania." In 1925, the dean of Princeton University asserted that cars would make young people "look lightly at the moral code." For years, I've kept a collection of these bonkers predictions. They've always struck me as funny -- and, critically, as proof that innovation isn't as scary as it seems. I think about them anytime someone confuses "new" with "threatening." And then one day, it hit me: This would make a great podcast.

Related: Start a Podcast Now. Here's How.

Did I know how to podcast? Not a clue. But it seemed like a fun idea. A friend gave me a used microphone, I teamed up with a guy I met on Twitter and I googled for what software to use. Then I spent three months making the first episode of a show called Pessimists Archive. When it came out, I thought, Hooray! I'm a podcaster! And then I realized I hadn't even begun making a second episode. That took another two months. It's been a year now, going on and on like this, often laboring at night after my son goes to bed.