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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).

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While working in direct practice and case management, I had a few clients whom I consider to be favorites. One in particular was a middle-age man who came to the agency for services.

When I first met him, he had survived three heart attacks in one month. He sat in my supervisor’s office, crying because he knew he needed some mental health services to deal with the stressors his body was enduring. On top of that, he was dealing with the heartache of losing his partner. The partner’s family blamed him for the death and subsequently refused to allowed my client to attend the funeral (and they also did not disclose where his partner was buried).

Of all the home visits I conducted, his home was also one of my favorites to visit. He was very hospitable and enjoyed showing off the items in his home. One day, as we were sitting outside in his outdoor office (yes…outdoor office), he asked, “How do you do this? How can you work with people that are desperate for help, who have so many problems?” I gave the usual “I like to help people” response, yet his question stuck with me until the I left the agency.

About a year before leaving the agency, I had a hard time getting in contact with him. As someone who readily responded to phone calls and letters and always welcomed me into his home, he was unresponsive. My letters to him were returned to back to sender, his phone was disconnected, and his health insurance was inactive.

I finally contacted his emergency contact—his mother—who informed me that he had died 3 months earlier from a heart attack. I was in a funk for the remainder of the day. The first thing I did when I got home was cry. I had clients who died before him, and several more who died after, but his death hit me the hardest.

I’ve been asked by a few people—in particular social workers—for advice on developing thick skin when dealing with clients and customers. The training and education you receive in school and during your internships will serve you well, but there will be days where your patience is tested. Here’s my advice on how to develop thick skin:

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