Never Become an Expert Redux
The moment you see yourself as an expert at something, you’ve put your subject in a box. It’s been turned into a mental abstraction. You now have a paradigm to defend.
Don’t interpret this as anti-learning. Many of the happiest, most purposeful and productive people on earth have found something which draws their attention like nothing else. They may have many interests, and often do. But they use this compelling pursuit as a central organizing principle. This aids them in releasing their best talents and abilities.
As they pursue it, they find it to be like peeling an onion with an infinite number of layers. The deeper they go, the more they realize how much they don’t know. They find this deeply humbling.
When someone performs brilliantly at something they often attract attention. People may begin calling this individual an expert or even a genius. So far, so good. However, a potential problem arises when this individual begins to read his own favorable press. The moment he buys into it is the beginning of the end.
Have you ever watched a famous actor or musician that has lost the edge? They’re still good at what they do, but that extra something that made them brilliant is gone. They may try to recapture their form by revisiting the past – by recalling how they used to do it. They are now in danger of becoming a caricature of their former selves. The problem is that they’re in their head instead of in touch with the creative genius that built their reputation in the first place.
When on the way up, they were trying new things. Experimenting. They didn’t yet have the formula, so they had nothing to defend. They were free and open to experience. However, once a route to success had been mapped, the experience crystalized into a concept. It no longer flowed like water. It became an insulating layer separating them from direct experience.
The Beatles (the 60′s musical group) are a good example of how not to fall into this trap. They were notorious for being flip with the press, which earned them the reputation of being a bit arrogant. However, the offbeat, often sarcastic remarks were usually in response to fawning questions or comments. The Beatles simply refused to buy into the flattery. Staying true to their art – and continually pressing the artistic envelope – helped them become one of the most creative and prolific musical groups in history.
The map is not the territory. Try as you may to describe the pleasure of a passionate kiss – your best description is a poor substitute for the experience itself. The key is to stay as close to the outside edge as possible. Being a turned-on lifelong learner is where the cheese is.
“If you think you’ve got it, that’s not it.” -Zen Proverb
“When you’re green you grow. When you’re ripe you rot.” -Ray Croc, founder of McDonalds
Eat to Starve Cancer
Most of us underestimate the impact of lifestyle choices on our ability to live vigorous and disease free lives. For example, epigenetics (the study of gene activation) teaches that simple lifestyle choices can determine whether a “disease gene” such as heart disease or cancer (it runs in the family) is activated or ignored.
Physician and researcher Dr. William Li is founder of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to fighting disease globally. Angiogenesis is the process that our bodies use to grow blood vessels. According to Dr. Li, over 70 major diseases, including every kind of cancer, have as their common denominator unchecked blood vessel growth.
Concerning cancer, he says it’s not uncommon for us to grow microscopic tumors. At this point the tumor isn’t dangerous. The problem arises when the tumor develops a supporting network of blood vessels allowing it to grow.
Dr. Li asked an interesting question, since answered through years of research. Can we use diet to inhibit the unchecked blood vessel growth which accompanies these diseases? In other words, can we eat to starve cancer? Turns out that the answer is a resounding YES. By lacing our diet with foods rich in anti-angiogenic properties, we can dramatically decrease the chances of falling prey to cancer and many other dreaded diseases.
To find out what these foods are, watch his riveting TED video above. You’ll find his bio here.
“Imagine that one medical advancement held the promise to conquer cancer, perhaps within your lifetime … the potential to also end more than 70 of life’s most threatening conditions, affecting one billion people worldwide. This is the promise of angiogenesis, the first medical revolution of the 21st century.”
-William Li
Google Search as a Success Metaphor
Over the past couple of years my ability to quickly find what I want on the internet has improved dramatically.
I’d previously chalked that up to progress on Google’s part. They’re constantly refining the complex equations that create search results.
But I wasn’t giving myself enough credit. I’ve also become a better Googler. Through trial and error I’ve learned that clarity, specificity, and eliminating unnecessary words yield superior results when formulating a search request.
Of course, this is also one of the oldest and most elemental of all success principles. Giving our brains clear, specific instructions about what we want is fundamental to actually getting what we want. Clarity really is power.
Google Search as a success metaphor. Who’d a thought?
