In an article published in Psychology Today: ‘How to Become an Expert,’ Dr Carl Beuke asks what we can learn from world-class performers. Dr Beuke reaches the conclusion that individuals identified as ‘ordinary,’ rather than talented, can become exceptional performers, provided they receive the right training, and provided they are willing to focus heavily on extensive practice.

Have you ever ‘checked your emotional barometer,’ to determine whether you feel like going to gym? And after doing so, did you actually go? Or did you subsequently talk yourself out of it?

Today I wandered out of a bookstore covetously clutching a new title. It isn’t anything as sexy as the latest Dean Koontz or Malcolm Gladwell. It’s a small book by the Economist. But it’s a good one. It’s the 2019 ‘Pocket World in Figures,’ the rear-cover of which asks the reader, ‘Did you know? Russia has the world’s highest divorce rate; the US has the largest foreign-born population; Japan publishes the most books per head,’ and more.

‘Quick! The business is dying! Find me the humblest possible consultant to solve the problem!’

Personally, I love it. Each day I haemorrhage vast spoils of time into its creation. But social media may not actually be driving your revenue, and I can tell you in all certainty that it doesn't drive mine.

There’s something wonderful about the ability to communicate without clutter. And it applies to top level experts too.

You’ve stalled. It’s all dried up and you’re feeling terrified. Now what?

In the new book, 'What Makes Them Great?', Douglas Kruger counts 11 separate reasons why it's worth your while...

Do you know which ideas in your industry have been falsified? In fact, perhaps that is too general. Let's be more specific: What is the last idea within your industry that was proven wrong? Can you name it?

Small things can disqualify. For instance, I recall chatting with a comedian who operated on a national level, yet advertised himself as the leading comedian in a small coastal town, far from the action. It sounded quaint and charming. The downside was that it could have put him out of the running for big national events.

So much of what we do these days is done online. As an aspiring expert, did you know that you could have it professionally animated? And that it isn’t even all that expensive to do?

Say, for instance, you make your bread and butter scaring people's pants off. You are that fine institution: a horror movie writer. And say you're challenged to write your next script. And then say you come up with the following premise:

Yesterday, I saw something I shouldn’t have. It wasn’t a horrific crime, the memory of which will follow me for life. It was a stolen quote.

You would think it would be the easiest thing in the world, but it really isn’t. Last week, I attended a conference at which a US sales expert posed a simple challenge. The audience was made up of experienced sales managers, and he offered a cash prize to anyone who could speak about one of their clients, any one of their clients, for three minutes or more.

I'm no expert in website design. But I know enough to know that certain templates don’t help you to get the sort of rankings you need on Google, while others can make you much easier to find. So whose job is it to know that? Realistically, it lies outside the scope of a web designer’s job. They are only really obliged to understand good design. Right?