In our never-ending (or what should be never-ending) quest to move forward in our areas of interest, having perspectives on how to make progress and gain expertise is important.
Progress and expertise are tricky, and often present themselves in deceiving packages.
Our measurable progress-meters are easy: how do I feel, look, perform, and recover?
Expertise is tougher.
Think about this:
- Is what I’m doing good enough to be passable, or good enough to be good?
- Is my output & effort allowing me just to finish or win, or to learn & develop?
If you thought “good” in response to the first question without taking a minute, it most likely isn’t. Self-deception & lack of humility are huge hindrances to both progress & expertise.
If you thought “passable”, good. You’ve just identified it and can now make adjustments, and subsequently, advancements.
Either way, putting your head around the non-physical side of things will help you to acknowledge common pitfalls and advance past them.