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| Fig. 1: An example of people who want to be the best (taken from time.com) |
Everyone wants to be the best (Fig. 1). All too often, though, the expertise we thought we had pales in comparison to that of some hotshot (Fig. 2). If you've ever played a musical instrument, you'll know the feeling when someone (usually half your age) shows you "how it's done" through a performance which makes yours sound like singing in the shower. If you've ever studied science, you'll know how meeting one of those incredibly smart individuals with stunning research, grades, knowledge, age, etc. degrades your confidence. If you are someone who's working hard at some skill, surely you've been discouraged at times by bright-eyed counterparts whose seemingly effortless excellence makes you want to give up.
Through my endeavors in music, my studies in physics, and my pursuit
of excellence in many other fields, I have encountered this dilemma repeatedly,
and it seems that at every level of competence, there will always be someone
better. Here are some of the principles I remind myself of when I get
discouraged:
First of all, remember that we naturally perceive other peoples'
performances as superior to ours. We are more observant of our own mistakes
because we know them personally, but a superficial glimpse of someone else may
not unveil their unique shortfalls.
Also, we often assume that someone's aptitude is their inherent
possession instead of recognizing it as the product of hard work. Perhaps they
had more time and resources to spend than I did - this doesn't make them a
genius!
Thirdly, we must appreciate a person for the entire spectrum of
strengths and weaknesses that makes them special. So often when exposed to the
skill someone possess in a narrow field, we mistakenly use that lens to infer
about areas of their life on which we have no insight!
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| Fig. 2: An example of a young hotshot showing you "how it's done" (taken from johnlund.com) |
Lastly, striving for excellence can often mislead us into pursuing
greatness. While this isn't necessarily wrong, it's end may be empty praise
instead of practiced skill. Learning should not be rooted in a prideful appetite, for the seeds of knowledge will only sprout in a humble mind. This
means that recognizing your lowliness in something you've worked hard at can
serve to inspire further effort. On the contrary, what motivates learning for
one who thinks to be the expert in their field already?
As the proverb reminds, the wise person has never learned enough,
and the righteous person allows their deficiencies to cultivate an attitude
that welcomes instruction:
"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach the righteous man, and he will increase in learning." ~ Proverbs 9:9
