7 Simple Steps To Becoming An Expert On Any Subject In 3 Years- And Make Money From It

Asa

1.     Asha was told by a choir director that she couldn’t sing when she tried to join a choir in her teens. Said she, ''People didn't understand my low-pitched deep voice, the choirs didn't want anything to do with me. I had to get to Church first if I was to have any chance of getting near the mic!'' Asa fought back, and by age 20, she had composed all the songs on her bestselling album ASA. 
 

2.       Steve Jobs did not have a degree in Management neither was he a computer nerd when he co-founded Apple. In fact, he did not have a bachelor’s degree. And do you know he was eventually forced out of Apple in the 80s only to be begged to come back 10 years later. Today, he is associated with management and computers. 

Steve Jobs

3.       Albert Einstein was told by his primary school teacher that he cannot cope academically. But he is today considered one of the greatest scientists that ever lived.

Albert Einstein

4.       Dr Jim Yong Kim, the World Bank president is a medical doctor.

Dr J. Y. Kim

5.       J.K Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter series was rejected by 12 different publishers because they believed her work was not good enough to sell/market. In fact, she was advised to get a day job by her eventual publisher- Bloomsbury, who didn't see a future for her in children's bookwriting.

J.K Rowling, credit: blankfictionmag.com

It doesn’t matter if you want to become a diabetes expert without being a Medical doctor or nutritionist, or a music consultant without knowing how to sing or play an instrument. You may want to be a very wealthy blogger without being a computer geek, or any other thing you choose, you can become an expert in it, and make money from it with or without a certificate or diploma.

1.       Get a field/subject you are passionate about, and read everything you can on the subject, everyday. The key is consistency, not volume.

2.       Write out the names of everyone that is anyone (authorities) in the field (both internationally and locally). Then read about/follow every one of them- taking particular interest in the ones whose lines of thought you subscribe to.

3.       Try to meet or connect with any of them still alive. Remember, you are a maximum of six (6) people from anyone on this earth. Go to their website, email them, contact their office/home address, etc.

4.       Find ordinary people around you who are also interested in or already into that field, and network with them.

5.       Don’t give up or get discouraged, no matter how difficult it seems at first. Just keep trying.

6.       Practice as often as you can, especially if it is on a subject such as computer programming, web designing, musical instrument playing, surgery, music production, or poetry. If there is a certificate or diploma you can afford to acquire, acquire it. If there is a seminar you can attend, attend it.

7.       Start giving out free information about that field to others. Talk about it everywhere you find yourself. Let them know you eat, breathe, dream and live that subject.

You might get there in 3 years, or less, or even more. You will not really know when you get there, or accept that you are there. But when you suddenly begin to see people associate you/your name with that field, when they can’t talk about that field without mentioning your name, and when they need an advice on that subject and you are their first port of call, and they are willing to pay you for your advice. That is when you will know you are already there, that you have become an Expert, a Guru.

[N.B: In the book Outliers, by one of my favorite authors Malcolm Gladwell (Tipping point, Blink, etc), he talks about how the 10,000 hours rule (applying it to the Beatles) helps one in becoming the best in a field. It's a great book and if you haven't read it please get it. If you need the ecopy (especially if you are a Nigerian,) please feel free to contact me, I will get it across to you. I promise you your life won't remain the same after reading, and thinking like Malcolm!]

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Update: Recently, I have come across people who are regarded as experts in respective fields today, but who all achieved success in those after just three (3) years of venturing into those fields.

I will make a list of them here, and keep updating this list as I find more such people:

Brandon Stanton of HONY

1. Brandon Stanton, of Humans Of New York (HONY) became an amateur photographer and blogger in 2010 after he lost his job as a bonds trader in a Chicago firm. By 2013, He was named one of Time Magazine's 30 Under 30 People Changing The World.