Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

I write about how to live deliberately, stay curious and therefore stay relevant. Author of the "Faark I Hope It's Not Too Late" newsletter Generalistalan.substack.com New Zealand Joined March 2009

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Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

19 hours ago

The competence trap in one sentence: You’ve invested so much in being good that appearing anything less feels like a threat to your very core. So you shrink your life to the size of your expertise.

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We assume the world is watching, waiting for us to fail. Mostly it isn't watching at all. And when it does notice someone having an honest crack, it tends to cheer. New article from Faark I Hope It's not Too Late 👉 generalistalan.substack.com/p/the-competen…

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Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

2 days ago

Here's the bit nobody tells you about starting something new at 50: People want you to succeed. My swim coach never once made me feel like the slowest person in the pool. Which I was. By some distance.

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Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

2 days ago

Jane Dent told me that after a career spanning broadcasting, the All Blacks and academia, she still wrestles with imposter syndrome. Still feels she made it up as she went. The feeling never fully leaves. You just stop letting it vote.

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Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

19 hours ago

The unlock, every time I’ve found it, is the same: be willing to be a beginner again. The newsletter. The podcast. The swimming. All of it started with feeling like a fool. As Ryan Holiday puts it: the obstacle is the way. 👉generalistalan.substack.com/p/the-competen…

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Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

19 hours ago

Same job, same routes, same restaurants, same opinions. The comfort zone doesn't announce itself. It just quietly removes options until “not for me” covers most of the map.

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Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

3 days ago

This weeks issue is for anyone who's excellent at their job but bored by it. The problem isn't age. It's that you've forgotten how to be bad at things. Read here why being incompetent can be a sign you're on the right. generalistalan.substack.com/p/the-competen…

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Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

3 days ago

A sure sign you're doing the right thing is feeling uncomfortable. Not dread. The awkward, slightly embarrassed, “I don't fully know what I'm doing” kind. That's not a warning light. That's a sign you're on the right track.

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Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

3 days ago

The more senior you get, the further the fall from expert to beginner feels and the more people you imagine watching you land. Spoiler: almost nobody is watching. And the ones who are tend to cheer.

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Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

4 days ago

I signed up for an Ironman when I could barely swim a length of the pool. 3.8km of open water is a long way to fake it. So there I was: a grown man floundering in the shallow end while teenagers cruised past. Best thing I've done in years. Here’s why.

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Alan Barnes @GeneralistAlan

4 days ago

This week's *Faark I Hope It’s Not Too Late* is about the competence trap: Why being excellent at the old thing is the biggest barrier to the new thing and what to do about it. generalistalan.substack.com/p/the-competen…