Why Your Circle of Competence Is Not, and Will Not be enough.

Each of us has a circle of competence → an area where our knowledge is deep and earned.

In the beginning, inside this circle of competence, you have an advantage.
But as you reach its edge, your advantage starts to fade.
Cross the perimeter further, and your advantage shifts to others, because you inadvertently teach them and they learn (ha!), and your unique value starts to fizzle away (aka knowledge build-up).

Suddenly, with your previous advantage now fizzled, you find yourself in a New Field (a New Circle) where others have an edge over you and you slowly begin to build a New circle of competence. And so, it continues, with life and its stages.

TLDR: The size of this circle doesn’t matter. What matters is knowing its limits and forming more areas of strength.

Crossing the line from what we know to what we don’t is risky.

Confidence fades slower than competence. The biggest danger outside your circle of competence is the unknown. Most people worry about the size of their circle. What’s more important is knowing when you’re nearing its edge.