Earl Nightingale said something to the effect of that if you devote 3 hours a day to a given subject and do that for 3 years you’ll be one of the top ten experts in that subject whatever it may be. Now, granted, most of us do not have nearly that time to devote to something. Even our greatest dreams.
However to become an expert in something we don’t have to become the top person for that thing in our field. But what do we have to do? What does it mean to be an expert? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary expert is defined as “one with the special skill or knowledge representing mastery of a particular subject.”
So for our particular needs here we’ll work with this definition. Being an expert does not mean being the best in the world. It means being better than say 80-90% of people out there or having more knowledge about a given subject than 80-90 percent of people out there.
And frankly, this is easier to do than you think.
Investing The Most Valuable Resource
What is the most valuable resource that you possess? Is it money? Money, after all, does make the world go round, right? No, money can be lost and is certainly important, but it can also be gained. What about connections? Connections must then be the most valuable resource correct?
So again, connections are certainly valuable but they can be gained as well as lost. The most valuable resource that you have is something that can only be lost and never gained. It’s something that literally ticks away day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second. And that thing is time.
Time is your most valuable resource. What an expert is, is someone who has invested more time in a given skill, subject, or area than the next person. Granted there are other factors involved like natural intelligence, genetic ability, diet, sleep, and many other things that go into becoming an expert but time is the greatest thing.
Those that are experts have invested more time in a given subject than those that have not. So what’s the best way to use this most valuable resource to become an expert?
How To Utilize Your Most Valuable Resource To Become An Expert
Doing something ten minutes a day seven days a week will yield more for you in terms of knowledge acquired, progress made, and just about everything else than doing an hour and a half of something once a week. Consistency beats total time involved.
It’s something that a lot of people get confused about. Whenever you want to master something or get good at it, you’re better off doing a small amount of it each and every day rather than a large chunk of it once a week. Now don’t get me wrong, a large chunk once a week is still better than nothing but the small amounts done consistently will yield better results.
So when we’re looking to become an expert in something then devote a small amount of time to that subject or skill every day. Because of the wide range of different subjects and skills out there, it’ll be hard to give you exact advice on which to choose and what to do but keep the general principle in mind.
Small daily actions make a bigger difference than large weekly actions. And don’t get me started on the inefficiencies of huge monthly actions. You want to take things day by day and build up a habit of growing and learning more about a subject or skill.
So set aside ten to fifteen minutes you can devote to something a day and within a year you’ll be far ahead of 90 plus percent of people on that given subject or skill, whatever it may be. In five years you’ll be a top expert and in ten years you’ll be one of the few elite.
Just about the only exception are physical skills which require certain genetic capabilities and decrease with time. But you’ll still be ahead of 99 percent of people with your genetical ability and age.
Other Steps To Rapidly Acquiring Expert Status
To truly learn a subject it is always wise to go and try to teach that subject. For example whatever skill or subject you have selected you want to be an expert on then go and try to write a book on that subject or teach a class on it. I’m not saying you actually sign up to be a teacher or publish the book. Rather, this is a training exercise for you to increase your knowledge and understanding at a drastic rate.
You also want to enroll in courses, take classes, coaching lessons, and read books on the skills or subject to further speed up the process of becoming an expert. You’d be surprised how little daily effort it takes to become an expert in a given field. Do the daily work and within a year’s time you’ll have not only reached but exceeded your goal of becoming an expert in a given field.
If you have any questions you would like to see answered in a future post send them to me at charlessledge001 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you found value in this post then I would encourage you to share this site with someone who may need it as well as check out my books here. I appreciate it.
-Charles Sledge
