Analyzing Expertise
When I was a child, the word “expert” gleamed in my thoughts like a star. I thought of experts as someone special. They had higher degrees. They wrote books. They appeared on television. I assumed they had access to knowledge that the rest of us could hardly aspire to.
But as I grew older, my notion of expertise changed. The shift began when it occurred to me that my parents were experts. Silly for me and my education system (particularly my education in English language) I foolishly thought of my parents as not being particularly knowledgeable. But as I grew older, I realized they both had their fields of expertise.
My mother was a master cook. She knew exactly how to mix, how much heat to apply to a mixture, for how long to produce a particular kind of curry and she could make curries that were elegant and exquisitely delicious. My father was a legal expert, a challenging and complex trade, which he practiced for years in Hyderabad. He was also a poet in Urdu.
Like all expertise, my parents’ skills came from years of observation, practice, experimentation and work.
Becoming aware of my parents’ expertise opened my eyes to what it really means to be an expert. I began seeing expertise all around me—expert shopkeepers, teachers, accountants, telephone operators, carpenters, shoe menders. I watched many become experts at raising children, balancing budgets, managing households, entertaining, offering emotional support, organizing events and many other things.
Then, I realized that I am an expert too. Discovering my personal expertise was an important step that made me write as strong as it can be in a language that does not belong to my forefather and is not mine.
RISE ABOVE
WHAT ARE YOU AN EXPERT AT? Think about the skills you have perfected over the years. Think about the things you pride yourself in, the tasks you are especially good at. What do people come to you for advice on? What kinds of things do you know that others may not?
Don’t say you are not an expert at anything. You absolutely are. Recognize your own expertise and Say it out loud:
I AM AN EXPERT AT _______________.
Post Script:
FOR FELLOW WRITERS…
When you write, claim your expertise. Write with an awareness of your own unique skills and knowledge. That awareness will show up on the page as strength, sureness, authority and passion. When you acknowledge your own expertise, your writing will become brighter, clearer and more confident.