becoming an expert (part one)
by Kyeli on September 18th, 2008 @ 1:34 pm in
How To Be Awesome
Tags: learning
We’ve discovered that being an expert is far easier than we initially thought. It’s really interesting!
Definitions of “expert” boil down to: a person with extensive knowledge or ability in a given subject, having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude. I think people mostly view experts, though, as gods of a sort. Experts are put on pedestals and reveared, and we tell ourselves, “I can’t be an expert.” I know I felt that way.
My attitude shift was sparked by Tim Ferriss, in The Four Hour Work Week. Tim talks about the difference between being an expert and being perceived as an expert.
This blew my mind! What? Fake being an expert?! That’s insane.
But… is it insane?
After weeks of talking and thinking, I realized it isn’t actually about faking it. It’s about knowing enough to feel like an expert, and proclaiming yourself as one. (I recommend, however, leaving off the “self-proclaimed” part.) The trick is to know more than most people about anything. If you know more than most people about any one thing, you are an expert in that thing.
It’s really that easy!
Well, I say easy, but it’s not easy. It involves research, study, and desire to be an expert. But it’s not about your education level, your financial level, or your intelligence level. It’s about your desire to learn.
I am a weight-loss expert. I am overweight, and this year, I took it into my own hands to lose weight. After a couple of months of winging it, I found the desire to learn about losing weight, and started studying. I read for days, sorting through the “take this pill” diet crap and finding the real information. I researched weight loss equipment. I bought some weight loss equipment after becoming a heart monitor expert. I could write post after post about weight loss – because I became an expert.
I’m a knee expert. I hurt my knee a few months ago, and while it isn’t severe, it’s not great and not getting better. Last night, I decided to research it and see what I could find, so I spent hours reading about knees, injuries, and treatments. I now have a really solid idea of what’s wrong with my knee and how to help it.
All it took, both times, was a strong desire to learn and perseverance. I needed information, I weeded out the crap, I studied until I not only had what I was looking for, but a good, strong, solid knowledge base so I wouldn’t have to research it over and over, and bang! I’m an expert.
I’m an expert on lots of things, now.
It’s fun and empowering to be an expert! What are you passionate about enough to become an expert on?
- Related posts:
- Healing journey.
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14 Comments!
#2 Posted by 
Megan M. on September 18th, 2008 9:04 pm | link
Book design, apparently. Success and personal development, probably! ^_^
Food… health… polyphasic sleep! Ha!
#3 Posted by 
Oliver Danni on September 18th, 2008 9:05 pm | link
Oogh…I loved this post until I clicked the link to the Four Hour Work Week. I still love everything YOU said, but that site made me sick to my stomach. I closed the window after I got to the part where his polite Indian assistant sends an EMAIL APOLOGY to his WIFE for him, and his wife is just like “oh, that’s very sweet honey”.
I try to avoid judging others as much as possible? But I really don’t feel comfortable with the idea that it’s a good thing for ANYONE to give up the concept of LIVING THEIR OWN LIFE to that degree.
#4 Posted by Oliver Danni on September 18th, 2008 9:21 pm | link
[http://peaceofpie.livejournal.com/677104.html] – cross link :D
#5 Posted by 
Kyeli on September 18th, 2008 9:47 pm | link
@James, yes! However, in my opinion, you don’t need others to proclaim you an expert. I don’t care a jot if anyone else thinks I’m a knee expert, but I feel like I am and I’ll tell others I am and offer advice if asked. I won’t say I’ve studied knees in college or anything – I won’t be less than truthful and authentic. Pace, tomorrow, will post part two, which goes into more detail on how we do it. (:
@Oliver, I know, we don’t like a lot of what Tim says and does. We read the book and took bits and pieces from it. We learned what we needed to learn and discarded the rest. Another thing we found, as have many others, with Tim is that he’s an expert in everything ever and his path is far harder than he makes it seem. I hope it didn’t totally destroy the whole post for you! *hugs*
#6 Posted by Megan M. on September 19th, 2008 12:23 am | link
I think it’s interesting how Tim can just reference particular things without necessarily specifically advocating them, and make people upset. It happens constantly. I think it’s probably part of the reason he gets so much attention, teehee!
#7 Posted by Oliver Danni on September 19th, 2008 2:15 pm | link
Megan: I dunno, I think maybe other people who aren’t me pay more attention to things that upset them than I do, but when something upsets me? I go pay attention to something that doesn’t. ;-) At any rate, I did feel like he was advocating the things I objected to before I stopped paying attention, because he was (a) doing those things and (b) using them as examples of things he was doing that are helping him accomplish his goal and (c) encouraging others to accomplish the same goal using the means he has. To me, a + b + c = advocating.
Kyeli: Like I said, I did like YOUR post. I liked it enough to crosspost it, so clearly I must like it! (Don’t you know I tend not to bother that much with things I don’t like? ;-) )
*posts about this again*: http://peaceofpie.livejournal.com/677122.htm
#8 Posted by Megan M. on September 20th, 2008 5:48 am | link
Oliver: I think my overall understanding of Tim (after quite a lot of reading of his material) is that he experiments with crazy things without necessarily suggesting outright that that’s the way to do them. That’s one of the things I value about his bonkers ideas. But it’s always possible I just interpret him the way that turns out to be most useful for me. Which I guess is still good one way or another! ^_^
#9 Posted by becoming an expert (part two) | Pace and Kyeli on September 20th, 2008 10:48 am | link
[...] is our first time with Kyeli posting part one of a two-part post and me posting the other half. It’s really [...]
#10 Posted by 
_rck_ on September 21st, 2008 9:21 am | link
Mhm … I dont know. There is a significant field of research into experts and expertise out there that is not really reflected in this discussion. People in that community would prefer to have something in the definition of consistently outperforming others in the area of expertise, not just trumping the people one typically bumps into it. In my nine years in Texas I have yet to run into anyone that can best me on Austrian history, but that does not make me an expert in Austrian history by far.
I find the time horizon element is missing; most people in the expert research community think that 1800 hours devoted to a topic is required; that’s 45 weeks of 40hs a week, or effectively a person year of work.
Another aspect that is missing is a sound knowledge of where the limitations of one’s understanding are. I have a good idea of what parts of Austrian history that I know about I understand way too little about to pass as an expert; and I am NOT an expert.
I suspect that the notion of an expert is now up for re-designation–and therein I see the validity of your post–because the areas of expertise have shrunk down to subject matters that are too small to be practical in problem solving and deployment. (Nietzsche used to joke of the expert on the brain of the blood-sucking leech as an exemplar for hyper-specialization in the early 20th century.)
#11 Posted by 2008 | Pace and Kyeli on November 2nd, 2008 6:17 pm | link
[...] growing pains began. We reconciled our goal of helping people with our goal of making money. We became experts at lots of things, and deeply regretted using the word “expert” instead of “competent” or [...]
#12 Posted by Sqoosh Your Inner Critic! on January 29th, 2009 6:57 pm | link
How I Became an Expert…
During the first few weeks of starting this blog I would say to myself, “But I’m not an expert! All I know is I’ve tried a lot of things; some things worked and some things haven’t. I just want to share what I know…is th…
#13 Posted by 
Marcia Francois on February 19th, 2009 3:06 am | link
Oliver, it’s not Tim who delegated the wife apology to an Indian assistant. It’s some other guy.
I also don’t agree with everything in the book (well, I don’t agree with everything about my HUSBAND and I love him, so I’m naturally contrary) and I still rate it as one of my top 10 non-fiction books. I take what I like and discard the rest.
#14 Posted by 
Sandra @ DebutanteClothing on January 24th, 2010 1:42 pm | link
I think being an expert really comes down to can you communicate what you know? I know people who know much more than I do about vintage clothing, but not know how to use tools to communicate this info. Communication skills really make or break you.
I’m an expert on vintage fashion, chronic illnesses, work place communication
Sandra @ DebutanteClothing´s last blog ..Links: The Week in Vintage 
#1 Posted by
James on September 18th, 2008 8:33 pm | link
Isn’t the difference between being an expert and faking being an expert just the raw ability behind the facade of confidence? So in that regard, isn’t the path to becoming an expert to first be passionate, then gain excellence, and being able to communicate that excellence so that others proclaim you an expert?