Another interesting post on Zenhabits on a very burning topic — how to quickly become an expert in several topics at once. That is, in a simple way, how to sit with one booty on several chairs at the same time. The article turned out to be interesting and simple, so I just couldn't pass it by.
The truth, as always, is that the answers to the most difficult questions are obvious and are right under our noses.
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Corbett Barr is the founder of Expert Enough, whose goal is to help people become specialists in many areas at various levels.
Over the past month, Corbett has been studying people who have become professionals in the field of launching new blogs. He interviewed experts in this field, just spent time with them, talked, trying to learn the secrets of a quick transformation from a beginner to a pro, and received very interesting answers.Somewhere in the depths of our subconscious, we understand that in order to become a good specialist in anything, we need to work hard. There are simply no shortcuts. But at the same time, we still hope that there are secrets in the world that help us find a shortcut. But a straight line is not always the shortest path.
The good news is that there are no special secrets.
What do I need to do in order to become a specialist? Stop looking for non-existent secrets and start doing business!
The title of a specialist is a rather relative concept. You can look like a pro in the eyes of those who do not understand the topic at all, if you understand it at least a little. And for experts with a worldwide reputation, you are a beginner.
Similarly, you do not have to have a mountain of diplomas and certificates confirming your high level in order to solve the tasks set for yourself, regardless of their scale (from the smallest to the most important).
Think of expertise on a scale of one to ten, not as an absolute concept. If you are a three or a four on this scale, then you can help with ones or twos. And your help can be much more effective than from a specialist-dozens. You have not risen so high and still remember what it is like to be a unit.
There is time for reading books, there is time for practice. There is practically no sense from a well-read, but never used the acquired knowledge in practice, « specialist ». To consolidate what you read, you always need real actions not on paper.
If you want to become a bodybuilder, just reading books will not develop your muscles. If you do not familiarize yourself with the special literature at least at the initial stage, you risk serious injury.
So with books and real practice — a balance is needed. Very many people have a big advantage either in one direction or in the other.
Just like changing habits, concentration can be a very useful ally in this difficult task (especially at the very beginning).
When you start learning something new for yourself, you may just be afraid of the amount of new information that you have to absorb. Because of this anxiety, instead of focusing all your attention on the current stage, you get nervous and try to look a step ahead all the time. As a result, your attention is blurred, and the prospect that opens up can simply overload your brain.
Do not underestimate the importance of the ability to focus. Firstly, concentration helps you to focus on the task that you are doing at the moment, and at the same time not be distracted by the rest of the stream of consciousness, which almost never runs out (unless you are a master of meditation and know how to catch a moment of complete silence). Secondly, the ability to focus helps you cut off all unnecessary and distracting from the main business. You know that according to the law of meanness, at the most crucial moment, there are a lot of cases that absolutely do not concern your main goal, but which require your urgent personal intervention.
And here it is worth remembering the four tips of Leo Babauta:
1. Start small.
2. Make only one change at a time.
3. Enjoy the work process itself, not just the result.
4. Be grateful for every step you were able to take.
If you look closely at the specialists, you will see that they are surrounded by coaches, mentors and friends who also understand this area.
Of course, up to a certain point, books and, perhaps, a person who guides you will be quite enough for you. But the time will come, and you will reach a level when your inner environment will no longer be enough to assess your expertise and you will need the help of the outside big world.
To assess your growth, you need feedback, a kind of pingback from the outside world. And the correct interpretation of this answer, in turn, will guide you and help you become even better.
The fear of making a mistake can be the biggest obstacle in your way. For some people, it's easier not to start anything at all, so that it doesn't hurt to fall. After all, many people know that the higher you climb, the more painful the fall will be. And this fear stops us, makes us stand still and be blind to the clues and chances that the world throws up at every step.
Moreover, mistakes help us to learn, give us the necessary experience. The more mistakes you make, the faster you learn to do the right thing. This, of course, is not a direct call to turn off your head and do everything completely without thinking. But the fear of making a mistake should not stop you.
In the end, if it doesn't help, think about the fact that there are much scarier things in the world, and compared to them, all your worries don't even pull to zero on a ten-point scale.
It would seem that everything is simple and obvious again, but for some reason we forget about it. I have a suspicion that all this is happening because it's so simple. Because many people have the idea firmly stuck in their heads that such things must necessarily be complicated! After all, such great knowledge and things cannot be right under your nose just by default… It's a SECRET! And we start looking for complicated workarounds instead of just opening the door.
Just imagine how much money people earn from our disbelief by writing books about the secrets of a successful business and an easy life ;)
