Walk up to the counter, smile, and ask - politely but plainly - “Any chance I could try a free coffee today?” Odds are the barista will say no, and that’s the point. Each harmless refusal is a micro-dose of discomfort that teaches your nervous system the sky doesn’t fall when you hear “Sorry, can’t.” Jia Jiang ran this experiment for 100 straight days; by day ten he was already shrugging off rejections that would have mortified him before, and - crucially - he started getting the odd yes.

Think of it as resistance training for courage. The request costs nothing, the stakes are trivial, yet you walk away with a thicker skin and a story to tell. Better still, make it a daily rep: ask for 10 % off a book, an upgrade on a flight, a late checkout at a hotel. Most attempts will fail; each success will feel like found money. All of them strengthen the same muscle: willingness to be told no, then trying anyway.