No one is an expert at anything on Day 1.

All those you admire for their skill, craft or talent started from 0.

Reaching expert status isn't a sudden epiphany moment, nor should it be a gatekeeper that holds you back from sharing valuable information.

Moreso, it's been observed that as you learn and improve in any field, you'll experience wildly varying levels of confidence in your expertise, captured best by the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Or as Aristotle famously wrote:

"The more you know, the more you realise you don't know."

That feeling of never knowing "enough" never goes away.

Ask anyone you perceive to be an "expert" in their field, and most of the time they'll tell you (without hesitation) just how much more they have to learn, progress or improve.

Content creation isn't solely about expertise; it's about sharing your unique perspective, experiences and learnings.

In fact — not being an expert can be a huge advantage.

Sharing your journey of learning and growing in a particular area will resonate with more people on a similar path.

99% of the world is a beginner at most things.

Being open about your learning process helps you be more relatable and authentic to your audience.

It's hard to relate to those that are advanced in their field. But it's much easier to connect with someone who's just a few steps ahead of you because you can see yourself in their shoes.

By sharing from a place of:

"Here's how I learned this"

=

Sharing what you've learned to help others 🫱🏼‍🫲🏽

Rather than:

"Here's how you should do this"

=

Telling/preaching/instructing others what to do 😬

...helps your audience learn and grow alongside you.

A Real-World Example

Charlie Ehlers, a personal finance & property investment enthusiast, has built a +90K following on TikTok by sharing knowledge, observations, and insights from his property investing journey.

At no point does he tout himself as an expert or "guru".

Instead, he's just an everyday guy committed to helping others achieve a similar level of financial independence in a simple, honest and easy-to-digest way.

Combining his experiences working in the construction industry with the knowledge he's accumulated from property investing mentors, he's now "paying it forward" and sharing everything he's learned and experienced on his journey (including mistakes).

Does he have financial qualifications?

Nope!

He did consider applying for an AFS licence, given he was regularly getting DMs from his audience asking if he could provide financial advice or consultations.

But he decided against it.

It wasn't the path he wanted to follow to monetise his knowledge and passion.

And that hasn't slowed him down. (Even if his content does get slapped with financial disclaimers 😅)

You're Already Qualified

So my friend, you're an expert in your life's experiences.

And you're 1-2 steps ahead of someone else. A younger version of you that doesn't know what you know now.

You're the voice that'll help someone else take their next steps.

You have the choice to pay it forward to others — in the same way that others have paid it forward to you.

Mamba