“I don’t have xyz degree.”
“I only have 200 followers.”
“I’m too young / old.”
don’t let your doubts get in the way of sharing your dreams.
you don’t gain expertise by “knowing” alot.
you CAN be an expert if….
you leverage your experience to understand & solve specific problems your audience is facing.
the power of understanding problems
think about it: if you’re new to fitness, who would you trust more? an olympian, or someone who’s stuck to their fitness goals for a few years but still has a day job? The first person might be impressive, but they don’t understand your unique pain points. In contrast, the second person can empathize with the temptation of junk food & the challenges of balancing a 9-5.
this is an example of the curse of knowledge: in which experts tend to assume their beginner audience knows more than they think. as a result, their mentees get stuck.
this is why teaching assistants and tutors teach you more effectively than the professor who’s been studying the field for 20+ years.
people aren’t looking for someone to take them from A to Z. they’re looking for someone to take them from A to B.
being closer to your audience’s current state = being uniquely positioned to better understand their pain points.
benefits of being a “beginner”
- more familiar with the journey
- more relatable
- up to date with current trends
- iterative mindset: with a shorter path, you can try things & change / experiment quickly. (short path = less inertia)
the key to success = beginners mindset+ leverage your experience.
beginner’s mindset = learn from everything
- document your journey
- read & apply knowledge from “experts” in your space-but simplify it to be relevant to your audience.
leverage your experience
expertise comes from experience:
- what have you learned?
- what mistakes have you made along the journey, and how do they inform you?
- focus on your own individual transformations (comparing past and current self)
- clarify the problems & pain points that YOU face-others face them too.
don’t try to be a guru.
when you try to speak to everyone, you resonate with no one.
don’t be the 1000th “ultimate twitter guide”
be the: “easy twitter guide for busy 9-5ers”.
expertise doesn’t come from fancy degrees or millions of followers.
expertise comes from experience. so leverage yours.
