The Making of an Expert

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Today’s Blog Post


The Making of an Expert

Mark Twain said, “An expert is an ordinary fellow from another town.”

I am good at what I do. In fact I am good at what I do in a number of areas. I am an expert in some of the areas. And I am achieving the expert level in other areas – one by one.

Now that will sound like an egotistical attitude to some. Not really, it is just a fact. And if you look at what you do now you will see that you are an expert at some things and will possibly be achieving the expert level in other things as well.

Most of us don’t think about it, we just do it. But just doing it doesn’t make you an expert… doing it over and over again, tackling the hard part, brings you closer to being an expert.

So do you believe Mark Twain assessment? Or is there more?

Searching for clues on this idea of being an expert, I found Malcolm Gladwell, a great writer. According to Malcolm Gladwell it takes 10,000 hours to be an expert or elite performer, in any industry, science and art form.

Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years.

So if I do “my thing” for those 20 hours a week for 10 years I would definitely be an expert? Maybe?

Wikipedia states on an expert…
* Relative to a specific field, an expert has:
* Specific education, training, and knowledge
* Required qualifications
* Ability to assess importance in work-related situations
* Capability to improve themselves
* Intuition
* Self-assurance and confidence in their knowledge

Now are there any areas in your life that this is happening? If there are you may be or are becoming an expert.

Not only do you need to do something for 10,000 hours, you need to “Do the difficult stuff in your field.”

Kathy Sierra stated that, “Most of us want to practice the things we are already good at, and avoid the things we suck at. We stay average or intermediate amateurs forever.”

What must we do then? The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance says,

“What is required is "deliberate practice", namely concentrated effort at improvement.

An amateur musician, for example, may have lots of experience playing through pieces, but a high-level professional will spend untold hours practising ever-more-difficult pieces, striving to master them.”

The above quote is from an excellent posting about Blogging – shown below.

So, if I am to move past being average or intermediate – I need to move into more difficult stuff. I need to push myself to do things that I have never tried before in my selected field. I need to push the envelop to the edge and then go a little further that day… and the days that follow, until I reach an area where no one has gone before.

I can be an average reader or even a little better – an intermediate reader. But if I push myself just a little more, reading more and reading a little more difficult things I can approach an expert reader stage.

Many of you that read this today are expert readers. You just never consider that before. You have read more than 20 hours per week for more than 10 years. You have selected new topics and gone further than you have every gone before. You have tried more difficult subject matters – now you can read anything.

If you are always reading Romance Novels, you may still be an amateur reader or maybe an intermediate. But if you now can read complex text, sort through difficult ideas and concepts, you have gone further… toward the expert status.

A long time ago Charles Schultz, the cartoonist, drew a cartoon strip that was perhaps the deepest thought ever. In the cartoon strip, Charlie Brown and Lucy are watching Snoopy, Charlie’s dog, doing tricks. In the strip Snoopy was sitting up, rolling over etc(this was before Schultz had him stand up and walk like a human). Lucy turned to Charlie Brown and asked, “Can you do that?” Charlie Brown states simply, “Of course not, those who can’t do, teach.”

It was very funny at the time, but it actually has a truth for us in the Charlie Brown statement.

By teachings something you will in fact push yourself further than you have ever gone before. You have to learn something well enough to be able to help your students who are pushing you for more.

I am becoming an expert Tatter. I have tatted for more than the required time suggested. I have pushed the envelop and created new things and new ideas. I also teach Tatting. The confidence that has come is real. There is not much that I have not tried that is already done. But there is now much more that I am discovering that has never been done.

I am progressing toward becoming an expert wood carver. At least I thought I was.

A few weeks ago I was at the Queen’s Park Legislative Building for Ontario again. This time I guess I was in the right mood or looking at things a little different this time.

As I looked closer at the building both inside and out there are about a million examples of the Wood Carving Experts of their day. Our Legislative Building is absolutely covered in wood carving and wood work of all kinds. The ability of these artists that worked on the building is amazing. These were expert carvers in wood and stone.

I realize now that I have quite a ways to go in this category – but I am willing to try. I am willing to push my limits now and try something just a little more difficult. And I am also willing to teach.

The last step that is so much fun to consider is, “You are never too old to learn.”

I think you are old when you refuse to try. I think you are done when you believe that you won’t try. I think that you and I are very different when you won’t even consider the possibility of trying – because you just can’t.

As I sit each week in the Peterborough Square demonstrating Tatting and Wood Carving, the reactions are really interesting as people walk by the table. As I talk to each one, the reactions are many.

What an education that has been!

The greatest compliments that I have ever received is not from Organizations, the Government or community groups for what I do or have accomplished in some areas. The greatest compliment is when one of my Grandchildren state proudly, “My Grandpa can do anything!”

All through what I have written here you have been saying that you are not an expert… you are not like me!

But in the eyes of your grandchildren you are way past that… you are amazing already. So why not go the next step and become and expert?

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Resource
http://bighow.com/news/how-to-be-an-expert-at-anything-in-4-simple-steps