Experience Is Not Always Expertise

We tend to assume that time equals mastery.
That someone who has done something for 20 years must automatically be better at it than someone who has done it for two.

But that is not always true.

Longevity can build skill, but it can also create comfort. After a certain point, the return on time begins to flatten. Repetition can lead to improvement, but it can also lead to autopilot.

I have seen people who have been in the same role for 12 or 20 years who stopped learning after year five. They repeat the same year of experience over and over again. Meanwhile, others who are newer throw themselves into learning, stay curious, and use the massive amount of resources now available to grow faster than ever before.

Focused effort beats passive longevity. Every time.

On the flip side, there are people who have been doing something for 20 years and have continued to grow, evolve, and stay curious. They keep learning. They adapt. They never let experience turn into complacency. Even then, that does not mean they are 20 years ahead of you. The world changes too quickly for that to be true.

Technology evolves. Industries shift. New information becomes available every day. You may not have 20 years in one lane, but with focus and adaptability, you can close that gap much faster than you think.

I have done this in my own life.
When I started my weight loss journey, I was years behind many of the people I looked up to. With enough focused effort, I caught up and eventually surpassed some of them in strength and consistency. The same has been true in my career, where I made major transitions and still found a way to get ahead through intensity and clarity of purpose.

Even in emotional intelligence and relationships, I had to reset at different points in my life. With honest reflection and focused effort, I grew faster than I thought possible.

It is proof that progress is not strictly a function of time. It is a function of how intentionally you use the time you have.

The key is staying intentional. You cannot control how long someone else has been doing something, but you can control how focused you are in your own learning curve.

It is not the years that matter. It is what you do with them.