Take A Bite Tuesday 2: Become Your Own Expert
Every chapter of my book 'You 2.0: Build Yourself Better' has a little exercise to not only help embed the ideas in that chapter within you, but to help cultivate a sense of progress in the reader's life. Each week, until all 33 exercises are done, I will provide my own answers to those exercises so readers can have an idea of how they work.
This is from Chapter 2: Become Your Own Expert
Take A Bite
I want you to write down five times in the past that you have had experts tell you what you should do. Then note if they were right or wrong.
Then write down five times when you did your own research before making a decision. As before, note if you were right or wrong.
Bet there’s not much difference is there?
The truth is, becoming an expert means building up references (or experiences, or knowledge learned via schooling etc) that back up the opinion that one is an expert in a particular field. Being an expert therefore, if you strip away all the mechanics and processes, is all about opinion. There is no reason why you cannot form an educated opinion from conducting your own research.
Am I saying ignore advice from experts- absolutely not! Am I saying that you should at least gain some knowledge about a particular issue/problem/opportunity before you simply accept what you’re being told? Yes, absolutely.
Things experts told me.
I wouldn't walk again without aid (after an accident playing rugby). WRONG.
I wouldn't make it going from a big company to a small one. WRONG.
I had too vague a name for my business (original name): Correct, hence why now darreninform is the brand.
I was crap at maths and shouldn't get a job that involves maths. WRONG and incredibly damaging to a 13 year old mind. I wasn't crap at maths, it was the way it was being taught.
and of course the whole 10 year journey getting a diagnosis of my FND, despite telling every doctor, nurse and consultant- 'my brain and my body aren't communicating'. So wrong wrong wrong.
Things I decided to do myself after researching:
Setting up in business. It's been a struggle but not one in vain!
Setting up an investment portfolio to see if I could make money. I did, and used it to seed my business. But I must admit I need to start again now with a new portfolio. I mis-used my free cash which I regret... so a 50/50 split.
Creating AI Agents. Saved myself £2000 minimum and have created three different agents by applying principles I learned/researched. Eternally grateful to Dean Graziosi and the AI Summit people for getting me started though. But yeah, so far so good, seeing incredible benefits ( the image above for example is by Max, my darreninform Business Agent).
Getting on top of my FND. It's been a long road, but I've now got it in check. It's not getting better, but for the last year I've stopped it from getting worse. This is through learning about the condition and potential treatments and routines that help- in fact, I had to teach a new GP about the condition who had never heard of it before.
After my spinal injury, finding out what types of exercises could help support my lower back so I could walk etc without a brace that went from my neck to my thighs. I had just turned 16 and looked like Frankenstein's Monster. By the time I was 18 I was free of the thing!
There you go, as you can see, I was right more after finding things out for myself than when I listened to experts. Now, over to you for your list.