The Three Philosophies That Will Kill a Rookie

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3 min read

Bob, a young man trying to pick up a skill. He wants to learn how to repair video cassette recorders (VCRS). Let’s assume this is the time when VCRS ruled. There are three costly philosophies Bob could travel with:

1. “Slow and steady wins the race”
Someone might wonder what’s wrong with that philosophy. Slow and steady always wins the race, right? Well, tell that to a Formula 1 racer. It’s not a one-size-fits-all thing.

Imagine it took Bob ten years to “slowly and steadily” learn how to repair VCRS. By the time he was ready to monetise his skill, the world had left VCRS altogether. Now, he has to pick up a new skill “slowly and steadily.”

Bob should have worked fast.

When picking up a new skill, you should go as fast as possible. This doesn’t mean giving yourself unrealistic goals. You should push yourself to adopt new technologies faster, read faster, et al. One thing is certain: the world is changing fast, and you either keep up or get left behind.

Don’t leave things for tomorrow when you can finish it today. Even after hitting your goal for the day, if you still have the strength to carry on, do tomorrow’s work today. Always try to do tomorrow’s work today, but never the other way round.

2. “No knowledge is useless”
So Bob got introduced to the anatomy of a VCR, and he was fascinated by one of the VCR’s components. He then veers off to learning about the history of the component. He finds out who invented it, and studies the man’s biography. Bob goes on with this for months. He’s now a pro in the history of that component and its inventor’s life, but at what cost? Some will say, “No knowledge is useless.” True, but some knowledge is unnecessary.

It will be counterintuitive for a doctor to study the engineering behind the defibrillator. All he needs to know is how to use it!

You have to prioritise what you need to know. Learn on a need-to-know basis. Other stuff can wait. These days, the important things are big enough tasks. Don’t fall for the trap of gaining irrelevant knowledge.

You have to be efficient.

3. “Don’t work hard, work smart”
Although I get the point of this cliche, it has become a cop-out from hard work, an excuse for trying to cut corners. There’s no shortcut to success. A better way to put that phrase will be “Don’t JUST work hard, work smart.”

Nothing can ever take the place of hard work, giving your best every single time…or at least, striving to.

Remember, “Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.”

Is there any need to emphasise hard work? Isn’t that what you’ve been hearing all your life?

There’s no example from Bob’s life here. He fell for the first two traps; he’s dead. We’re done. Good night. Go home.

Oh, before you go, remember these three keys: