14. The Curse of Expertise

I know many friends who wish to share things by starting a new blog or a youtube channel or an Instagram page. But they often hold back circling around the following thoughts

• I am not an expert in this field, or, 
• Let me learn more and become perfect and maybe then I will share.

But we forget one thing. Experts don’t have one precious thing that a beginner has. 
Relatability.

The Curse Of Expertise

The journey of growing from a beginner to an expert happens over a considerable amount of time. And it is full of different challenges, learnings, ups & downs, and unlearning-relearning.

By the time we have become an “expert”, we have lost all the context and perspective of being a “beginner”. Along with that, we have forgotten the challenges that we faced as being one.

Subconsciously we start thinking like an expert after getting acclimatized to the new behavior of knowing that skill. And this makes it even harder for us to properly communicate and teach in a way that beginners can understand. It’s called the Curse of Expertise.

Marathon Runner

For eg: You just ran a full marathon (42 km)

If, as a beginner, I were to ask you how to do it, you might give

• a schedule that makes me run progressively
• a diet to be followed rigorously
• Explain breathing patterns

But for me, listening to the above can be quite overwhelming.

Whereas, I am struggling with trivial things such as

• tying my shoelaces so that they don’t open all the time
• deciding between running on a treadmill vs running on the track
• what shoe to buy.

Share your Journey

So while an expert’s opinion is definitely helpful, there is a lot of value in beginners’ learning as well.

And hence I say,

don’t share your victory, share your journey. 

• Started cooking? Share your journey.
• Started an Instagram page? Share your journey.
• Started writing? Share your journey.
• Started journaling? Share your journey.

Because there is another you, who is on the verge of “starting”. For her, you are already an expert. And a small beginner tip or motivation can really be a stepping stone for her.

FYI: I went through the same emotions while starting this newsletter. But now I know the importance of sharing the journey.

And so if any of you would like to share something, I would be glad to link that in my following newsletters. Please reach out to me and I would be more than happy to help.

As usual, if you liked this post, please let me know in the comments. It will really encourage me to keep writing.