The secret to becoming an expert is actually fairly straightforward: Master your craft.
Behind the red carpet, the lights, the glitz, the glamour, the press features, the money, the fame and everything else that meets the public eye, is an expert. Billy Crystal didn’t just happen to be asked to host the Oscars for the 9th time because he won the lottery. He is an expert.
Every person you look up to is an expert.
It’s someone that has dedicated their life to perfecting their craft. It doesn’t just happen. Becoming an expert takes unrelenting dedication and drive. It takes creativity and concentration. Vigour and vision.
You need to put in more time and energy than your competition does. It’s the only way. No free rides, my friends. To get ahead, you need to think ahead. Make sense?
Plan. Block off time. Say no to distractions. Less time for partying. More reading and researching. Start earlier. Work later.
Malcolm Gladwell writes of the 10,000 hour rule in Outliers, claiming that “the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.”
I tend to agree.
Remember, every star that you saw rock that red carpet last night at the Oscars and every person that won one of those golden awards has dedicated their waking hours (and sleeping hours) to mastering their craft. Before anyone even knew who they were, they were practicing and on their way to becoming the expert that we now know today.
Now, here’s the part where you dictate your future. Now that you know what it takes to become an expert, all you need to do is work backwards.
Teachers, entrepreneurs, publicists, advertising professionals, bankers, doctors, journalists, lawyers, architects, designers, producers, DJs, musicians, athletes, actors, the list goes on … and so does the amount of time it is going to take you (and me) to become an expert and to master your craft.
I’m in the process of mastering my craft. Are you? If so, I look forward to doing it with you alongside all of my fellow young professionals.
Stay Notable,
Julian Brass
Founder & Publisher, Notable.ca