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No one starts out knowing every thing. It takes a while to get there. And when you finally obtain a level of mastery, there will always be more opportunities to hone your skills and expertise.

If you become frustrated because you feel like a novice, amateur or (even worse) a fraud, you’ll never realize your full potential. If you believe that you know everything there is to know, you prevent yourself from learning new ways of approaching your work.

Here are 4 ways to become better at what you do:

Surround yourself with people who are better at what you do 

This can be a little intimidating, but if you shift your perspective from one of intimidation to one of opportunity and a willingness to learn, it can be priceless.

One of the benefits of surrounding yourself with people who have a higher level of expertise and/or who have been in your field for some time is that it allows you to not only learn their way of thinking; you can learn about the pitfalls they may have encountered while on the road to honing their knowledge. You probably won’t dodge bullets completely, but you’ll be able to spot those pitfalls more quickly.

Heads-Up: It’s very common to be so inspired by someone else that we may imitate them. Interestingly, you will notice that surrounding yourself with people who are better at what you do often leads to developing your voice from their perspective. Your blogging, podcasting, speaking, social media presence, and more may take on the tone of that person(s). However, the more your confidence grows, the more you’ll be able to develop your own voice and perspective while still being inspired by the people who helped you along the way.

Find paid, free and low-cost opportunities for training and professional development 

Back when I had a day job, I LOVED going to one-day or multi-day trainings, many were local to my area and were free. Mostly because it allowed me to be away from the office. I also enjoyed when my employer would invite trainers to the office who facilitated on interesting topics. (Maybe being away from my desk and not doing any work is why I enjoyed those, too).

Seek out opportunities for professional growth. Local and national conferences, one-day or multi-day trainings, and online webinars and trainings are great for learning about a specific skillset. Books and online tutorials are great as well. I make it a goal to attend at least 3 in-person conferences a year (more if I can budget for it), and I’m participating in at least one free webinar every week.

Heads-Up: Sometimes trainings and conferences can get a bit pricey. Do some research on the conference or training you want to attend to see if they have scholarships or another way to cover expenses. Volunteering your time is also an option, and you can help out while also gaining free access to the conference or training. Also, ask your employer if travel, lodging, and conference fees are covered by your organization.

Put theory into practice

Learning about something doesn’t matter much if you’re not putting it into practice. You could learn how to play basketball through reading about it or watching a game, but unless you get on the basketball court and pick up the ball, you won’t get very far. You could also read about balancing yourself while riding a bike, but no one can really teach you balance. You have to get out there and master it.

There’s a huge difference between what you learn and what you end up doing. This is especially true when you’re in school and you get into an internship, field placement, or enter the world of work. No matter how much you’ve studied something, nothing beats the real world experiences that will help you put those theories into practice. But remember: Theory describes practice, but it doesn’t prescribe practice. Theory can inform what you do, but you have to make an effort of implementing what you want to gain an expertise in.

Heads-Up: Putting what you’ve learn into practice helps to hone your expertise faster. And yes, it can be scary. We fear making mistakes. And mistakes will happen. I call them lessons learned. The more you practice and put yourself out there, the more proficient you will become.

Self reflect (and ask for feedback)

This can be the most uncomfortable, but asking for feedback from others is an essential part in developing your expertise. Your mentors, colleagues, classmates, and clients have a lot to teach you. So set your ego aside and be willing to learn, no matter what level you’re at. Sometimes it’s easier said than done, especially when the feedback you get isn’t really helpful, overly praiseworthy, or very critical. Questions like ‘What are some things that I’m doing well?’ and ‘What are some things I can do differently or better?’ leads to more balanced feedback. Other questions can include:

• ‘What specifically do I need to work on to become more proficient at [insert topic]?’
• ‘If you were to give me one piece of advice, what would it be?’

Heads-Up: The tricky thing about asking for feedback is that, just as we can fall into creating our voice from someone else’s perspective, seeking advice from others on how to improve will be based on their perspective. A solution to this is self reflection. Identify criteria that will guide you into knowing that you’re headed in the right direction. Having an increase in confidence or being able to speak succinctly about a topic are just two examples of ways you can gauge how far you’ve come.