The knowledge and skill gap

People are always like, “I tried playing the piano, but I could never coordinate my hands.” Well, yeah. You have to learn how. (Image by Diego Ortiz)

I never enjoyed cooking very much because I always had the vague sense that I didn’t know what I was doing.

Even though I spent years working in commercial kitchens, I didn’t have much of an awareness of knife technique or other aspects of food preparation. Therefore, I was intimidated by recipes. I stuck to routine meals that I could figure out through trial and error.

As I’ve gained more knowledge and ability in the kitchen, cooking has become more fun. Instead of wandering aimlessly, I have a goal and the means to achieve it. I have the right gear, the right information, and the necessary skills.

While I felt dissatisfied with my prior efforts, it didn’t occur to me that I could take a class or watch videos or read books to learn how to cook.

I never thought to expand my capabilities intentionally. I never paid much attention to how others picked up their culinary expertise. I didn’t see that they had gained skills and knowledge that I had not. I believed that I knew how to prepare food. After all, I could make a few things. I didn’t see what was missing.

It sounds a little silly, but people don’t always realize that the reason they are struggling to do something is that they don’t know how. I encounter smart people all the time who don’t spot the gap in their knowledge or skill because they’re used to always knowing or knowing how. Therefore, they don’t even seek support.

This was my story all through school. I picked up writing, math, and art with ease. Athletics and music were much harder. Eventually, I cracked the code with music through sheer determination. Athletics, on the other hand, I gave up on.

So my bag of tricks was like this: Get it automatically and easily, or get it through brute force.

If I didn’t get it in these ways, I wasn’t going to get it.

What a sad and limited way of growing! Luckily, I expanded my toolkit later on. I read books and practiced implementing what I had learned. I talked to people. I took courses and lessons. I hired help. And, of course, I watched YouTube videos.

I came to see that, if I was struggling, it was because there was something that I didn’t know or don’t know how to do.

The same goes for you. If you’re having a hard time with something, I can guarantee that it’s not because you are inadequate. The problem is that there is a knowledge or skill gap. That’s great news! A knowledge or skill gap can be fixed.

You don’t necessarily need to try harder or work longer hours. You just need to figure out what’s missing and where to find it. And you can even get help for that part.

And if you struggle to stick with challenging things or to follow through on your plans, you can get help for that part, too.

“I can’t do this because I don’t know how!” For me, this was a powerful and liberating idea. It was a lot better than “I can’t do this because I’m not good enough.” It meant that solutions were out there, and I could find them and learn them. I am certain that you can as well.