More Mistakes = More Expertise
My buddy Eric posted a quote last week on geekwhat that I really dug A LOT:
“An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a very narrow field.”
–Niels Bohr (1885-1962)
Yep, Bohr as in the bohr model. This quote reminds me of my earlier days at Cisco. I worked in the engineering tech support labs and performed customer recreates for Cisco clients like AOL, AT&T, etc. When I first began, it was a really tough road learning all the software, hardware, and protocols. But about six months later, I started getting really good at troubleshooting problems — mostly because I had encountered them before already. Nine months later, I was really sharp and sometimes a go-to guy. A year later, I was traning people.
Just earlier tonight, I finally completed my programming assignment for class, meaning the chip hardware was doing what it’s supposed to do. This was after a total of about 5 hours of troubleshooting. Those 5 hours were frustrating and sucky. But now I feel awesome. I’m one more tiny step closer to expert status…
I think this quote by Bohr is very true. Find your niche passion or skill. Finesse it. Make mistakes. Learn everything. Become the best.
Your task for today (and everyday): Ask a question. Make a mistake. Don’t be afraid to ask that potentially ‘dumb’ question. So you get laughed at, who cares? You gained something. You learned! :)
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April 17th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
You were “traning” people? ;-)
Every newbie, trying to make money online, should repeat that quote. It seems like people are always looking for secrets from “experts.” Trial and error is the way to go.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Agreed. Nike says it best. Just do it. Doing is always more effective than reading. Is that true?
April 17th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Yup. Just do it.
I can’t, for sure, say it’s better than reading. Reading helps you sleep and sleeping is a good thing.
For me, doing is more effective than planning. With earning online, you can fall on your face over and over again without being laughed at or even noticed. And it doesn’t cost much to fall on your face, online. People, looking to make money, should it more often.
The sooner you make mistakes, the sooner you can change your approach for the ideal outcome.
April 17th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Ya, mistakes are good. Fear of mistakes is like a road block. There is a whole speedbump/road block around mistakes. All the embarrassment, finger pointing and threats are a waste of time.
It’s not how bad you F’up that matters, it’s how will you recover that counts.
April 17th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Is it just me, or is it cold out?
April 17th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
It’s ridiculously cold out here in Silicon Valley. 40 degrees, super cold wind.
April 18th, 2007 at 6:20 am
Hey, same here in Sacramento! I made the mistake of wearing t-shirt and shorts to go to the bank. Holy crap!