The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. -Alvin Toffler
This site is about gaining expertise, and I know it isn’t for everybody. Here’s why: people want to become experts at all kinds of things, but the truth is most people don’t actually want to put in the effort becoming an expert really requires.
Here’s my question for you: has the art of becoming good at things been lost on today’s instant gratification society?
And if we have become a society of armchair experts, what does that mean for those of us who actually like to get good at things? Is it easier or harder to acquire new skills given all the resources (and distractions) that exist today?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Guitar hero or Guitar Hero™?
More and more our society craves entertainment. We love to be spectators.
The pride and satisfaction of really learning and practicing something long enough to become good at it is competing with all forms of entertainment, and entertainment is winning.
Americans on average spend two months per year glued to the TV set. Kids spend nearly 8 hours a day consuming media, including TV, playing video games and surfing the internet.
Learning and doing are losing to watching and playing.
Sure, TV and the Internet can be used to learn useful things, but they can’t replace real world experience. And let’s be honest, how many of those 8 hours a day do you think are really spent learning?
Actual skills and knowledge have taken the back seat. Real world skills are losing out to video games, and knowledge is losing out to beliefs. Guitar heroes have been replaced by Guitar Heroes™.
Intellectuals are losing to those with the loudest beliefs. We know stunningly less and less and yet have stronger and stronger beliefs.
We’re experts at passive consumption of media and belief without fact, but little else. If consumption alone were a business, we’d all be wealthy entrepreneurs.
But as fun as the consumption of 1400 hours of Glee and American Idol each year may be, it doesn’t make us experts on anything besides who Finn is dating now, and who replaced Simon Cowell.
Hardly knowledge that will impress your friends or land you a job, let alone make a blip on the radar when you look back on your life.
I point out these sobering statistics on the lazy state of society not to depress you, but to counter an argument we all hear (and use) all the time: “I’m just too busy.”
I’d love to get in shape, or learn the guitar, or spend more time with my kids or learn another language, but I’m just too damn busy.
Really? How many hours of TV did you watch this week? How much time did you spend mindlessly surfing the Internet?
Getting Good at Things Again
Let’s set aside the broader societal points for a minute. What everyone else does might be depressing, but we can only really change our own behavior.
But most of us could use more doing and less consuming. If you want to acquire new skills, live an interesting life and do adventurous things, you have to get good at putting in the effort it takes to actually do those things.
Side note on definitions of “expert:” I’m a big believer in relative expertise. For most purposes, you don’t need to be the world’s foremost expert on something to benefit from what you know. Being expert enough means knowing enough or being good enough to accomplish your goals, however modest or grand they may be.
Think about all the things you’d love to be good at or know how to do. I’m talking about real renaissance person kinda stuff, or James Bond level skills.
What’s on your list of cool things you want to know and do?
Now think about how many of those things you’ve really put effort towards over the past year. When I say “effort,” I don’t mean that you read 27 articles about it or watched a tv show on the subject. I’m talking about real learning, real doing, taking classes, practicing and asking someone who knows more about it for help.
How much of that level of effort have you put in?
If you’re lacking some of the abilities from your renaissance person list, I’ll hazard a guess that you haven’t really put much effort in. Or, maybe you put some decent effort in, but you’ve been bouncing around from one pursuit to another or from one method to another without seeing results.
In either case, there’s hope.
You can learn to do practically anything you want to, it’s just a matter of deciding what you want, focusing, putting in the time and getting serious about measuring your progress. It might also involve cutting out a little media consumption time, but I bet you were thinking that already 
With deliberate practice progress can be made, in astonishing time. For example, over the past three years I’ve learned how to sail, taken acting classes, taken up surfing, built three successful blogs (and a location independent business), got a lot fitter, learned enough Spanish to be useful and traveled the world for 15 out of 36 months.
That’s not to say I’m an absolute expert in any of those things, but I’m expert enough to have used those skills and knowledge to dramatically impact my life.
This all started with a conversation I had with myself about the life I was living vs. the life I wanted to live.
I took a step back and thought about how I wanted to spend my time, what I wanted to learn and do, and how I could look back on my life and say, “god damn, I lived the hell out of those years.”
Have you had that conversation with yourself yet? If so, what are you doing to make it happen? If not, what are you waiting for?
Now I’d love to hear what you think.
Has the art of becoming good at things become lost on today’s instant gratification society? Is it easier or harder to learn new skills and knowledge today with all the resources (and distractions) out there?
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Expert Enough is here to inspire you to learn more, do more, be more.
Life is richest when we become good at a lot of different things. We think terms like “know-it-all,” “jill of all trades” and “renaissance man” are compliments.
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Thanks for the swift kick to the pants. I keep telling myself that I’m accomplishing a lot, but a bit of much needed reflection shows that I’ve just been talking and writing about accomplishing a lot. I’ve actually accomplished little. It’s time that changed.
Hehe, I know what you mean. It’s easy to feel like you’re doing something when you’re actually procrastinating.
On the other hand, don’t discount the value of talking and writing too much. You might actually be consolidating your thoughts and forming your strategy by doing so.
It’s not too helpful when my talking and writing goes in different directions every other day. I know that I can’t be an expert enough in everything, but the list is long.
Corbett-
Found this when you tweeted it this morning. I consume a lot on Twitter. Appreciate the reminder that if I’m not doing anything with it then it’s just a bunch of tidbits.
This year I’m becoming expert in CSS. It’s one of those things that expert enough blows people away because they know nothing.
Enjoy the surf.
Will
I’ve had that conversation with myself too many times, and with my wife WAY TOO MANY TIMES (she’s still surprisingly super supportive) So I’ve taken a few risks, stepped away from a solid full time position to have the time to dedicate to my passion, transforming lives through fitness, and I’m strating my business, starting my wife’s business (interior design) and hustling my a** off so that I can look back at 2012 and sy “Hell YEAH I owned that!”
I have the bes of intentions and talent to pull it off but my curse is that everything has fallen into my lap up until this point in my life, I haven’t had to work hard for anything, it’s all just happened. I’ve called it good Karma for years, and it was good, but now I see it as a curse, one that I will break free from this year.
I plan on starting 2 successful businesses, living a truly mobile life, returning to live in europe and set a guiness world record.
Every day I wake up and read this quote “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepes fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” We truly are that powerful and it will be a royal waste to not put it to work. GREAT post Corbett and thank you for calling us out.
Blake, having a lot of previous success might well work in your favor. You won’t be subject to limiting beliefs resulting from failure experiences. Which are more, in my opinion, damaging than the failure.
It’s a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy: successful people are successful.
Good point Dave, thanks man, now it’s time to self-fulfill.
Awesome Blake, I love the enthusiasm. And Dave’s right, a past string of (relatively) easy successes could very well work in your favor. You won’t be surprised when things go well, and you probably won’t sabotage yourself as so many people do. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Oh the internet is awful for making us think we’re being productive when we’re really just pissing about.
Step away from the screen, mammasaver….
Blog of the Day for sure, very well written, I love your philosophy. “What are you some kind of expert” “Expert Enough”
It’s funny that you bring up Guitar Hero, because I had a similar epiphany several months ago as I was playing that game. As I was working and re-working on a level to get a higher score, all of a sudden I thought, wouldn’t it be a lot more awesome to *actually* spend this time learning how to play *actual* rock guitar?
I haven’t really played the game (or any other game) too much since. I won’t say that I’ve been perfect at engaging in active versus passive activities since, but I sure haven’t wasted as much time in front of the tv.
I hear that they’re working to make those games teach you actual skills. That’s pretty cool in my opinion. Until then, there’s nothing wrong with entertainment, but congrats to you for the realization about what you want for yourself.
The ones with the “loudest beliefs” as you put it, the Tim Ferrisses of the world, seem to serve as some kind of role model of our time. Just look at all the “6 figure blogs” and all that other BS that’s coming out of the woodwork now that WordPress is finally easy enough to use and every numbskull can set it up. The theme seems to be: “Bullshit your way through life and tell everyone how great that is.” Even worse is the “make money on the internet” crowd. The only objective is to make a million $. What kind of goal is that? Where were these people in 2000?
In what kind of a pitiful state is the world when one has high goals when he simply states that he is “traveling the world” or “really doing what he likes”. The hobo is kind all of a sudden. Passion revolves around fame or money, there is nothing “big” going on in most people’s life and in the world in general.
Where are the Heisenbergs of today? They work at Godlman Sachs. Well, who is John Galt? Let the idiots take over the internet, the world, the airwaves and accomplish something meaningful far away from their chatter.
Everybody loves a shortcut. It’s too bad they’re usually just detours.
Great points about hollow goals. Some people have to chase them for a while to realize how empty they really are.
I was always taught you could do anything there was book about. That’s proven true for me for everything from building boats to CSS. Strangely, I meet very few people who share this outlook. Overall I think the resources make it easier to learn but the distractions make it harder for people to bother.
I would like to adress your question “is it harder or easier to learn new skills and knowledge today?” this is a no brainier for me personally. I have never found it easier.
I love looking up DIY how to’s on the web and applying myself in ways I never thought I could, I’ve tiled my whole basement, rewired new lighting, discovered a blockage in my dishwasher after following YouTube instructions on how to dismount the spray arm etc. I have planned(and gone) with my whole family for adventures in Costa rica, Belize,Arizona. These include jungle hikes, and waterfalls, snorkling, river tubbing and Mayan ruins without guides.
I have discovered new approaches to parenting my two children that take into account the technology revolution that will and is making their future so different from my life at their age.
I guess part of me rebels at what seems to me as too much focus in the comments above that doing only applies to grandiose endeavors such as starting anew business, but gaining competence in your life on all the little stuff that supports a family and community is equally important and valuable. I have found it is getting easier to Do than ever, as long as you can pull yourself away from that couch. In our house, tv is off limits mon-thurs for kids and adults (except for news) and that makes a huge difference in how we then choose to spend our time.
In my opinion, Life has never had as much possibility, or ease of access at our finger tips as it does now in the developed country we live in. Thanks for thought provoking discussion.
Great points Sonia. I agree, gaining little bits of useful knowledge and learning how to do things yourself makes for a much more enjoyable and adventurous life. Cheers and thanks for commenting.
You’re absolutely right! Instant gratification has ruined the art of learning. It’s especially sad to see kids who are only interested in remembering enough to pass tests, rather than actually knowing something new and important.
And I’m guilty as hell of not learning Spanish or losing weight, of watching tv for 3-4 hours every night, and sometimes just cruising around the internet. But, in the past 2 years, after having that same talk with myself about the life I want to live, I have learned enough about farm animals and growing crops to call myself a farmer. I started a blog and a business, and I make a point of learning something new every day.
Thank you for the inspiration to keep on!
That’s great Pam, congrats on becoming a farmer! Isn’t it empowering to realize how much you can accomplish with a little dedication and hard work?
Although we limit our kids (7,10&12) to 3 hours a week of screen time (that includes tv, email, video, etc… They don’t yet have cell phones.) I do notice a lack of umph when it comes to striving for excellence in any given area. They do climb a lot of climbing trees, drawing, and reading, but I think my habit of learning just enough to get by has rubbed off on them.
For me, it’s really hard to push myself to learn more once the excitement has worn off, but I’ve been thinking a lot about how to develop the good habit of pushing through those times when the thing becomes work so that I can get to that point when I achieve some level of expertise and the thing becomes fun again.
Thanks for the great post!
I felt the same way for a long time Tiffiney. It seemed like I could only learn the surface of things, and after that excitement wore off it was hard to keep going. Lately I’ve started to appreciate the longer-lasting, deeper fulfillment of really getting to know something and reaping the rewards of staying dedicated.
Great post Corbett,
Human nature has shown that if we edge to far on one side (hyper focussed) we will naturally rebel to the other side (lazy, watching trash) because we prefer a bit of both, but feel guilty about it if we are not aware.
My aim for this year is to really push forward with developing my business coaching and giving people solid content on my blog…but also to be a little bit easier on myself when I get distracted by the world of Facebook and junk media.
In answer to Sonia I think there are certainly more distractions than we had previously, however there are certainly a lot more oppotunities that with the right focus and implementation can create something brilliant!
Aaron
I agree, I think there is a natural ebb and flow from one side to the other, but I think you can also train yourself to spend most of your time either focused or lazy. Thanks for the comment Aaron and good luck with your business plans.
I’m actually glad most people don’t put in the time it requires to be grrreat.
The ADD syndrome of today makes almost everyone a dabbler, while the true passionate souls laser-focus on their subject and smoke out the 3rd party goers.
I think generally today’s possibilities, such as the internet, give your the opportunity to learn a lot more in a much shorter time. Almost every skill or technique is explained dozens of times on youtube and other tutorial-websites.
However, at the same time, it is a lot easier to get lost in this endless ocean of information. Personally, I’m more of a chaotic person and always struggle to get more structure into my life. For me, this abundance of information is overwhelming and confusing at times, since the possibilities seem endless and I wouldn’t know where to start, which steps to take next, etc.
Also, seeing so many people doing so many cool things can give you the idea of just “not being good enough”, this feeling “man, I can never get to where they are!”.
Bottom line is: if you know what you’re doing, meaning: if you know, how to use the many, many resources, if you have a plan or a teacher who can give you some sort of plan, todays possibilities can make you become an expert in a much shorter time. You just have to be careful so you don’t get lost on one of the many roads and intersections to take.
Patrick
You are so right, with all the resources available where do you start?
I’d also like to add that we aren’t experts because what we do changes with every new technology, new method, or software update. As a video editor I have seen the product I deliver go from tape to digital to internet and have kept up with every new innovation. Now I want to learn programming so I can understand and create stories in the many new formats and distribution channels available today and into the future. I suppose one can never be an “expert” at anything. Learning is the real work we do, and life’s pleasures may be found in the “doing”.
Awesome – I’m grateful for the encouragement. I am learning how to build and run a location-independent business while I am at home, before departing for long term travel, and at times it is overwhelming.
I’ve often wondered why people do not start learning new skills, as it has always been something I enjoy. I just attempted painting as another creative outlet, and found it was a lot of fun! My martini glasses look as if a hyperactive five year old painted exploding roses, but it was fun getting to that point and encouraged me to try harder next time.
I agree with just about everything in this article. I am continually amazed at how many friends of mine who don’t do anything seem to feel they are experts at things they have never done. From indoor rock climbers to Wii snowboarders and, great observation, guitar heroes. I play guitar (how well is up to the ear, I guess) but you have to spend time, effort and a lot of failure to be any good at anything. We are the armchair society. Great article.
Yeah, it is easy to “just be too busy” but when you start really looking at what you are doing to create that busyness, you can indeed find the time – but it can be hard putting down that crack-like TV or FB or whatever.
“But most of us could use more doing and less consuming.”
Love that quote Corbett.
It pretty much sums up the problem in one tight sentence.
I think for most people (myself included), we naturally think of the “end result” we want to achieve instead of the “first steps” we need to take.
If we can learn to switch the order of our thoughts, I think we’d all make a lot more progress.
What do you think?
Great post! I quit my current IT contract to learn mobile apps after 10 years of enterprise integration consulting. I’m also studying jazz guitar and work hard still after 30 years of playing/teaching. While there are many distractions (such as your post I clicked from Twitter) I worry about the future generations.
Obviously other countries will kick our asses from an economic perspective but what happens as the anger increases towards others and other countries that ‘have’?
Fantastic article. I ve actually followed a similar path as you have, and by cutting down my consumption, I;ve managed, in the last five years to
a. Get a pilots lisence
b. Start a business that I am really proud of.
c. Lose 15 kilos
d. Learn a couple of programming languages
Trouble is, my list doesn;t seem to end
Corbett, first time to your blog, thought provoking article.
In regard to your question “has the art of becoming good at things been lost on today’s instant gratification society?”, I don’t think so. I think we’ve always been a society of instant gratification, but now we are overwhelmed with opportunity.
I love to consume media, but I remember when I had a few channels (pre-cable era) and actually had to go to the movies. As a kid, I watched Star Wars once or twice, my kids have seen it dozens of times because we own it on dvd, on demand, etc.
In a society where we are afflicted with ADD/ADHD, we are overwhelmed with information, distraction, entertainment AND yes, even opportunity.
Yes its much easier to become an expert, but for many its just information overload.
And as an entrepreneur, I have the opportunity to have even more freedom in my life without someone cracking the whip (or holding me accountable). I’m the boss right?
The change for me is setting, measuring and consistently reviewing my goals to make sure I am continuing to hone my expertise. I try to think about OUTCOMES and what I’m doing today to achieve them. Then ask questions like is this episode of Californication the best use of my time? Is there value in writing this blog post? or should I be focused on my area of expertise?
There is definitely a balance and entertainment is not bad, but I’ve found that when I’ve stated my goals, review them not just on New Years Day, but rather monthly, weekly or even daily, that I much more likely to achieve or become the expert I have set out to become.
I think it really boils to down to what kind of filters are we using to keep things in balance. For me its productivity tools to make sure I’m on track and not over doing it on Media, or one aspect of my business, and to make sure I’m focusing on the 20% thats actually important to my business right now.
Sorry for the long post, its just a subject I like talking about
This is definitely something that I as a twentysomething who feels like she’s become stagnant needed to read. There’s so much to do and time easily gets away from you if you let it – a great reminder that there’s so much more to life than spectatorship. Thank you!
This is a great read. I totally agree. I myself am developing expertise in wordpress, blogging and information publishing. I’ve been at it for the last 2 years and the progress has been slow but I’m noticing subtle changes that make me believe I’m nearing a breakthrough.
this year is going to be the best year ever because i took the time to be expert enough in these new skills.
I’ve had the conversation with myself too many times. “What am I really good at? Copywriting. Sure, but what else?” I spend way too much time on the computer, at a workshop, or with my head in a book getting good at what I do, but I have to remember to step away and get good at something non-career-related. I also have to remember to not let my kids fritter away their time getting good at Super Mario Bros. and more time getting good at skateboarding, or baseball, or some other activity. Too much time spent in front of a screen. That’s it…I’m putting my foot down. When I get home from the office each day, I will not get right back on the computer. I will get good at something else. More actual bird watching, less Angry Birds.
Thanks so much for this, Corbett. We all need to focus on this more. In our sensationalized, egocentric society, we want to learn dance to impress others. We want to learn martial arts to be like the movies. We want to learn voice to be on American Idol – AND BE an idol – not for the sheer mechanics of singing. Societies that actually succeed – AND remain successful – are composed of purposeful people who are well-disciplined and focused early in life on a multitude of pragmatic skills, not simply spectators of the few who have them. Studying world history quickly reveals this. The principled are who our forefathers were – those who brought many of us the freedom to do nothing much. Are we dropping the torch?
To summarize, fall in love with the art, not what it superficially does for the ego. The rewards of embracing the actual art versus sensationalism is great, and the lessons of patience and personal refinement make us better as people.
Great article. It’s so easy to claim to be “too busy”, forgetting that we all have the same number of hours in the day. It’s all about choices. I have to agree with others that the Internet does offer amazing resources and opportunities for learning though, so long as you’re logged out of email/Twitter/Facebook!
Excellent point. I’ve been saying the same thing for years.
When there is something I want to learn I get a book, video, or find an instructor.
My grandmother used to say “practice makes perfect”. I don’t know that there is anything I do “perfect”, but I’ve made it to fourth degree black belt and did not stop there, but learned new styles from other martial artists. I play four musical instruments, can airbrush, weld, build a house, design electronics, or program a computer. Like yourself, I wouldn’t say I am an expert in any of these, but enjoy them and am “good enough”.
On the other hand, I probably have not had the TV on over four hours in the last 12 months and couldn’t begin to tell you who is on “You can be a Star”.
Let us hope this gets some people moving. Kudos my friend!!!!
Out of the park, Corbett. I can’t tell you how many times i’ve tried to help folks see ‘self esteem must be anchored in real accomplishments!’ Reading your stats here, it is no surprise there is a national epidemic of low self esteem.
I’ve had this conversation a lot with friends about music. I always ask “where are the greats of today?” Like .. where are the Paul McCartneys and Stevie Wonders and Stings?
Simple .. *those* guys were bored out of their heads as kids.. so they immersed themselves in music. Anyone born after 1980 spent most of their childhood in front of a screen.
I find it depressing.. can anyone name a modern “music star” who is actually really *good* at their instrument or voice in the same way that stars of yesteryear were? There are a few.. but very few.
Interesting article. You really summarized the main point about how we view keeping busy for the sake of it versus doing something productive.
Hi Corbett,
You make such such a good point about our time spent mindlessly watching TV or surfing the Internet. I recently read the average person watches 4 hours a day. When they are 65, they will have spent 9 years in front of the TV. It doesn’t seem like the best use of time. Good inspiration to get out and improve ourselves.
I’m taking tennis lessons right now. I doubt I will be an expert, but I see improvement every week. It is important to feel the confidence of knowing how to do a few things.
Very nice and informative article Mr. Barr – I don’t usually see much common sense, practical wisdom floating around in the extreme hyperbole of the Internet. Do you have any thoughts on the hindrance of livable wages in the current American economic landscape? I’m finding that skill accumulation and mastering are greatly affected by an empty wallet, as are most of my friends who are in their early, mid, and late 20′s. While I know people who would love to take chances and become good i.e. master craftspeople at their dream jobs, having no disposable income is a huge hurdle and potential risk in the event of failure. Also, student loans present even more difficulties to progress. Faced with bleak and grim economic realities, perhaps younger people choose instant gratification and myopia over hard work and mastery because they truly believe that the blood, sweat, and tears will have little to no payoff. Huge time sinks coupled to no reward would seem to be a massive deterrent, crossable only to the truly brave or the truly foolish – only the far ends of the bell curve are committing anymore… (http://saintpetersblog.com/2011/12/chart-the-toil-index/)
Pretty sobering observations on our so-called developed society. Corbett, glad you and like-minded are picking up the torch and waving it around. A challenge I give my kids (11 and 12 y.o.) everyday is to create as much as they consume, or even create half as much. Because I watched them devolve from spontaneous little artists to “expert” i-pod gunners and gamers and lose their sense of pride, ownership and impair their ability to make good choices. Which makes the job of parenting that much harder of course.
So we (selfishly) try to help them in small loving ways: getting them to add up their time spent creating or consuming. Or if video is the family activity, hit pause mid-way and together question the conflicts and consequences the character faces by his/her choices. The lesson we’re trying to impart is we DO have a choice, to be an expert, hobby amateur or anything else – but what you might think is “no choice” or numbingly inane TV/gaming, means you’re letting somebody else make choices for you.
I’ve been having this conversation with myself a lot lately. I’ve made a few significant life changes, but there’s also so much more I could be DOING, I just need to keep the fire under my butt lit permanently. I’m a chronic over-researcher/perfectionist, and the internet is the biggest enabler for that – I can “learn” and research things literally forever, and feel fake-accomplished – but it will NEVER compare to learning by doing. Which, I’ve found is actually more addictive/exciting than the research stage once you actually get down to it! I believe the word that sums that up is “duh!” Great post!
Ainslie, I hear you mate!
We call it “paralysis by analysis”, and I oughta know! Even worse if you are or are married to an engineer… BUT sometimes great F*&kups are also saved by that analysis.
With internet it is certainly easy to ‘research’ stuff than do the actual stuff.
Sometimes it keeps me awake at night, the skills we are losing via spending too much time on the internet rather than in the shed, the garden, the business, with kids or with 3 dimensional people “in person”! Remember what that’s like?!’.
As you say, great post, thanks “Expert Enough”, perhaps we will meet in person one day!
Hey Corbett, just found Expert Enough after following Think Traffic for a couple of months. This one is really close to my heart. It’s interesting that you chose music as your example for becoming good at things. I believe that learning to play an instrument well also teaches something more fundamental: how to learn.
I started learning music at the age of four and have enjoyed learning new things all my life. I’m 62 years young. 4 years ago I added Total Immersion swimming to a long list of relatively expert skills. And yes, I’ve now got a blog to pass on my teaching expertise.
I notice that the students in our music school start to do well at other things – school for one. They all become good learners who can master new things quickly. Learning music teaches you the art of learning and how to memorise, a key component of becoming an expert.
Love this blog! Cheers, John