The Dark Side of Expertise: Don’t Let Knowledge Hold You Back
We often celebrate mastery in a particular skill, but seldom do we discuss the downsides that accompany such proficiency that can paradoxically lead to procrastination, making the prospect of trying new things more daunting.
It is such a common experience to fear taking a risk, trying something new or simply making progress on a desired project when we have the thought that we are not good at something. But have you ever felt you are good at something, you do have a level of expertise and that is the very thing holding you back?
Perhaps you’ve been praised for something you did well in the past. That can certainly feel really wonderful. At the same time, it can create a sense of pressure to show up just as well in the future.
I remember years ago when i first started writing nature pieces. Nobody had any expectations of me. I just started writing about my experiences in nature for fun and to share with friends. After the first few posts, I was getting lots of praise. But then I started feeling anxious about writing more.
What if my next one isn’t as good? What if I let down folks who liked my last post? What if people think less of me or make fun of me because they expected more? What if they are disappointed in me? These were some of the thoughts that would swim in my head and of course there were many more.
Even though my fears were unlikely to come to fruition, the impact they had to incapacitate me. To freeze me whenever I thought of writing again. In fact there was a period of more than a year when i didn’t write because of my fears.
When we excel in a specific area, the fear of failure becomes more pronounced. The pressure to maintain high standards can hinder your willingness to venture into unfamiliar territory. This fear of falling short of your own or others expectations can breed procrastination that traps you in your comfort zones.
If we are an expert at something, we may fear tarnishing our reputation or ego by taking on challenges outside our expertise. The thought of making a mistake or being a novice again can be intimidating, leading you to procrastinate or even totally avoid, rather than face the discomfort of being less than perfect. So how do you overcome that?
There is a famous Michael Jordan quote:
“I’ve lost almost 300 games, 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Breaking the Chains of Avoidance and Procrastination:
Embrace Imperfection: Understand that mastery in one area doesn’t guarantee instant success in others. Allow yourself to be a beginner and accept imperfections as part of the learning process.
Set Realistic Goals: Break down daunting tasks into smaller, more manageable goals. This not only makes the challenge less overwhelming but also provides a sense of accomplishment along the way.
Celebrate Small Wins, Effort, Not Just Results: Shift your focus from solely valuing the end result to appreciating the effort invested. As Thomas Edison said on the path to inventing the lightbulb, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” But it was finding what did not work that lead to his success. Recognize that every small step forward, regardless of the outcome, contributes to personal growth
Learn from Failure: Rather than fearing failure, view it as a valuable learning experience. Analyze setbacks, identify lessons, and use them as stepping stones toward improvement.
Curiosity Over Comfort: Cultivate a mindset of curiosity. Instead of sticking solely to what you excel at, explore new domains with genuine interest. Embrace the joy of learning and the adventure of the unknown.
Embrace Criticism and Haters: In your pursuit of growth and excellence not everyone will appreciate or understand your journey and that’s ok. Whether that is from someone well meaning or simply from someone trying to tear you down because of their own insecurities. Either way you embrace it as an opportunity to build resilience, explore an aspect you may not have considered (if the criticism has merit) and improve as well a sign of your progress. After all anyone who has ever been successful at any venture has faced criticism both well intentioned and not.
Breaking free from the procrastination induced by expertise requires a shift in mindset. By acknowledging imperfections, setting realistic goals, celebrating effort, learning from failure, and fostering curiosity, we can transform the fear of trying into the excitement of exploration.
I wish you well on your endeavors. With my writing what finally got me to start again was remembering that I started doing so, simply from a sense of fun and wanting to share. So I made the decision that it was ok if not everyone liked what I wrote.
While that didn’t totally get rid of the fear, I realized I did not have to get rid of the fear in order to write.
But I also did not have to let it dictate my choices. And you don’t have to let it dictate yours either.
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the far of failure.” — Paulo Coelho
We are all failures — at least the best of us are.” J.M. Barrie