Reflections.
Why Slowing Down Makes You an Expert Faster
What is the similarity
between Tony Robbins (motivational speaker),
David Allen (productivity guru), Darren Rowse
(professional blogger),
Jamie Oliver (television
cook) and Jillian Michaels (well-known fitness trainer)?
They
are all very successful in what they do – and they are also top experts in
their own field.
How did they reach this
status?
Did they just read a book on
a topic and decide that they automatically go-to experts
in their own field? Or did
they one day just announce to the public that they are gurus?
No…they didn’t.
What about you then: Do you
wish to be an expert? Do you think that you can start a blog,
write a couple of “6 tips”
articles and announce that you are an expert?
Can you reach an expert
status overnight – by doing something haphazardly
and hoping that someone will
notice you?
If you answered “yes” to any
of these questions, you are on the wrong track.
In fact, you will never reach
that recognized “go-to person” status in your field
if you keep this mentality.
Goodbye book signing tours
and goodbye TV appearances;
you will be left in the dust
of mediocrity with other wannabe experts.
The missing elements of expertise
For some reason, many people
want to reach to expert status overnight.
They are not willing to work
their asses off to reach that “go-to person” status.
Rather, they want to take shortcuts;
they want everything faster and easier.
Another major issue on their
path to being an expert is the lack of focus.
They hustle around and they
think that they have to specialize in every possible aspect
of their
field. Otherwise they feel they are going to be left on a level of
mediocrity.
Even if they start to focus
on one area only, quite soon they move back to their original patterns – being
generalists rather than specialists.
Just shut up…and do the work.
I’m willing to say that if
your mindset is right,
then reaching expert status someday is going to happen.
When your mindset is right,
you understand that you are committing to a long-term project.
This is not a sprint — it’s
not even a marathon. No…it is going to be a 100-mile run.
With the right mindset, you
have to also have the courage to stay on your path with solid focus.
This helps you to gain valuable experience over time.
Finally, you also understand
that you cannot set any deadlines
as to when you will become an
expert.
It will happen eventually –
with enough time and experience.
What is required to become an expert?
So how do you become an
expert then?
What is required if you want
to reach the “go-to person” status in your field?
The short answer is:
Time.
And
lots of it.
I’m not just talking about
spending “X” amount of years of doing everything possible
and then burning yourself
out.
Instead, I’m talking about
taking slow, consistent, fearless and focused action.
Now you may be asking: “What does slow, consistent,
focused and fearless action mean?”
It means that instead of
trying to do everything in your field,
you slow down and start
focusing on a certain subset of the expertise;
you take consistent action on
things others are not willing to do.
To break down the components
in the previous sentence, consider these points:
Slow:
This is a long process, so learn your theories well.
Then apply those theories to real life scenarios and test them out.
Add your own personal tweaks to the mix. Create your own systems and
theories –
don’t just take everything for granted. Let the material to
sink in well into your head.
You are going to study a lot: reading books, watching videos,
listening to live lectures
or teaching others. There is no reason to rush – just take your
time.
This is a 100 mile run and not a marathon, remember?
Consistent:
Build your expertise on a daily basis. If you are able to do
this, over time you will learn
a great deal about your industry and your specialty within that
field.
Consistency keeps the momentum alive.
Focused:
Don’t try to master each and every area of your field.
Instead, be superior in one particular
area. For example, if you want to become an expert
in Internet marketing, knowing everything about PPC, affiliate
marketing,
article marketing, building niche sites or building an e-mail list
is not reasonable.
Instead, pick one area and become a recognized expert in that
particular topic.
Fearless:
Do what others are not yet doing or are afraid of doing. For
example, if everyone else in your field
is running text-based blogs, you can start creating videos or
podcasts.
If the rest of the community is afraid to do public speaking, step on the stage
and start sharing your knowledge with others. Many times if we
take bold action
on things that we feel uncomfortable with, the rewards are going to
be bigger
than if we had just stayed inside our comfort zones.
Action =
This one is pretty self explanatory, but is still worth mentioning.
Instead of just studying about your topic, it is also important to
test
and implement what you have learned. Test your knowledge by
answering questions
(on podcasts, videos, question/answer sites, etc.) or by teaching
others (seminars,
workshops, community colleges, etc.). Implement by turning a
theory into practice –
then report your findings to the world in the form of a blog post,
case study or a free report.
It’s the
action that counts. That is the only way to create new
experiences
and ideas which could be once again be tested and implemented even
further.
Now that you know what it
takes to become an expert, my questions to you are:
“Are you still willing to become an expert?
Or do you see this as too tedious and too long of the path to take?”
“Are you willing to slow down, put 100% focus on a specific area of
your field,
and realize that this is going to be a long journey?”.
“Is becoming an expert overnight just unrealistic?”
If you answered “yes” to all
of these questions, you are on the right path.
It’s time to roll up your sleeves.
Although the path to becoming
an expert may be long,
use these steps to move
towards to your goals:
1. Find your speciality.
The first thing to do is to
find the overall area you are passionate about.
Is it cars, is it model airplanes,
is it internet marketing or is it personal development?
Only you know an answer to
that.
For example, when I looked at
my bookshelf it was evident that I had plenty of books
related to time management.
That’s what I was (and I still am) passionate about.
Later on that topic was
narrowed further,
and now my focus area is time
management for work-at-home dads.
The reason why I decided to
focus on that specific area was because I’m a father myself
and I’m passionate about time
management. Since those two topics coincide with each other,
it was natural for me to
focus on that particular area of time management.
If you are still unable to
figure out what your strengths are,
you can take a DISC test to
find that out. I took the Anthony Robbins DISC test
and it literally changed my
life. The results were very accurate
and it showed me what areas I
should be focusing on
(and yes, time management was
one of them).
Action
Steps:
this test actually showed my strengths and I’m very grateful for
that.
In that sense, giving my e-mail address was a secondary thing.)
Brainstorm ideas: What are you passionate about? What do you love to
learn about? Doing some brainstorming will help you to put your ideas and
thoughts into a visual format on the paper
2. Start a blog
One of the great ways to
build your expert status is to start a blog.
There are many online courses
out there that teach your blogging.
What I recommend is that you
find a teacher who has a proven track record
of running a successful blog
(Corbett Barr, Darren Rowse or Derek
Halpern
are the ones to name a few)
and follow his/her teachings.
Blogging is a great way to
teach others about your subject, gain more expertise
and grow your audience. Also,
creating a blog may lead to other major milestones
on your way to becoming a
“go-to person”, like book deals or even TV appearances.
When you start a blog, you
don’t necessarily need to publish new content on a daily basis.
In fact, there are many successful bloggers, who have a slower publishing
schedule,
and yet their blogs are very
successful and they have a massive following.
Instead of publishing
mediocre stuff on a daily basis, focus on the quality content instead.
In fact, every time you
publish a post, let it be epic
shit instead!
Action
Steps:
Join a blogging course
Focus on quality, not quantity on your blogging.
3. Study every day
You need to keep your skills
up-to-date, and also you have to learn new stuff on a daily basis.
To learn new stuff, read
books related to your topic, watch videos or listen to podcasts.
It is also worth remembering
that studying other material
(not just related to your
industry/area) is a great way to feed your creativity.
All of a sudden you may come
up with ideas and topics which could be explored further.
Action
Steps:
Dedicate a time block for studying – for example 30 minutes to 1
hour every day.
This can be reading, watching or listening.
Find the 5 biggest blogs regarding your niche and subscribe to their
RSS feeds.
Learn what topics they cover and participate to the discussions
Install iTunes client and look for podcasts in your field
Don’t just focus on the literature of your field – read other
materials as well.
4. Write every day
Not only should you study
every day, but you should also write daily too.
Writing is also a great way
to learn more about the topic.
For example, when you turn an
idea to a text format (a blog post, e-book, report)
you may need to do some
further research.
This forces you to check the
facts and learn more about that topic.
Action
Steps:
Dedicate a time block for writing (for example 1 hour/day)
Choose the part of the day when you are less likely to be distracted
(and when you are alert enough to focus).
For example, I wake up early
and write almost every morning before going to work. I’m productive during the
morning hours and our home is quiet, so I can concentrate well on my writing.
5. Experiment
Not only is it important to
study and write, but also to experiment with the knowledge you have. This in
turn leads to other valuable innovations, which improves your experience level
even further.
Action
Steps:
Spend time testing and experimenting with all the theories you have
learned in practice
Take enough time to experiment with a theory to see if it works or
not –
then report your own findings (blog post, report …)
Create case studies: Demonstrate how something was changed
after applying this particular theory in practice
6. Strengthen yourself
Although you need strong
technical skills as an expert,
there are other set of skills
that you should master too.
These skills are related to
your personal time management and presenting skills.
Action
Steps:
Learn some basic time
management skills. When you work, you should focus enough
on the tasks at hand and avoid distractions if possible. Also,
knowing what parts to focus on
is important so that you are not wasting time on unessential things.
Learn about public speaking. There will be times when you have to
teach your expertise
in front of the crowd. By learning about public speaking, you make a
good impression
on your listeners. Amazon has plenty of books related to this topic.
A more effective way to learn about public speaking is to take a
public speaking course
or join Toast Masters.
Only practice will make you better at speaking publicly.
Finally, taking action is also a great way to get more self-confidence.
Rather than sticking to theories, actually do something – take action! This is
a great way to boost your confidence.
7. Teach others
One of the best ways to learn
a new topic is to teach others. With the help of the internet, it is possible
to teach others online – you aren’t restricted to just teaching physically in
classrooms.
You teach others by doing
guest posting, videos, podcasts, webinars or teleseminars.
Once you are comfortable with
these ways of teaching, you can start speaking on stage,
in classrooms or at your
industry events.
Action
Steps:
Write guest posts on other blogs
Create videos or podcasts on your blog where you teach about your
topic
Have webinars and teleseminars with other experts in your market
Offer your training at community colleges
Conduct workshops
Perform public speaking presentations to a smaller groups first,
then bigger ones
Consult via Skype
8. Ask from others
Asking is a powerful way of
learning more and you should take advantage of this method.
For example, I have realized
that interviewing others is a great way to learn more
from experts in my industry.
Asking has also another great
benefit: When you reach the top experts in your market,
you are going to be on their
radar and it may be easier to form new important relationships
with the top players in your
market.
Action
Steps:
Interview the top experts in your market by e-mail, podcasts or on
videos
and publish the material on your blog.
Conclusion
Becoming a recognized expert
is not a sprint, not even a marathon – it’s a 100 mile run!
That’s why you have to be
dedicated and committed fully to this journey. For example,
I have been studying time
management since 2007 and I still have plenty of things to learn.
So how do you know when you
are an expert? You will realize this when others start noticing you and what
you do. Little by little you’ll begin to be asked for interviews and opinions.
Let others acknowledge that
you are an expert rather than you declaring it yourself!
Remember, there is no deadline
in becoming an expert. It will happen gradually over time.
Over
to you: When did you realize that you were an expert in your field?
How
long did it take you to reach this status?
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/why-slowing-down-makes-you-an-expert-faster.html
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