“…new clothes can be seen as a fancy uniform that won’t produce in its wearer the skills, mind, or experience for their intended vocation…”

Of course, you can also see it the other way round - by putting on that flash new suit, you want to become worthy of wearing it - whatever that means to you.

It’s a grading technique sometimes used in the martial art I practice - rather than saying that the person has mastered all the things necessary for the grade being awarded, they are seen to be well on their way to achieving that, and the grade is awarded, as an incentive to get there. I certainly remember feeling “Wow! I don’t really deserve this - I don’t know X or Y, and I really have to work on Z…”. And, of course, in saying “I have to do…” you make a small commitment to yourself to live up to what you think that grade should be.

My small change was along those same lines - I decided to make an effort to aim at my next grading. I’m now training at a new club, with an excellent instructor, training twice more a week, and have started the process of finding out where I need to be to achieve my next grading. Also managed to get a couple of friends involved in the same club…so I’ve got an interest in watching them grade (is that vicarious grading? :)