Be your Own Expert

Lately, I’ve noticed myself seeking information from experts, like a lot. From books to podcasts to articles, I will happily drown myself in research. This morning, however, as I tuned into an episode of Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s podcast, I heard him say, “We do not have an information problem. We have an action problem.” In addition, Dr. Chatterjee continued, we’ve come to revere science and experts to the detriment of trusting ourselves. 


While the irony of an expert telling me this is not escaping me, I’ve been reflecting on how very true this is, not only for me, but for many other people right now. We are absolutely inundated with information as a society. The human brain processes 74 gigabytes (GB) of data on a regular basis. We are constantly bombarded with sensory input – from sounds to words to thoughts to images. 


Loudly ringing above the cacophony of information are the voices of “experts” of all kinds. We have medical and wellness professionals who tell us what to eat, what to drink, how to move our bodies. We have financial experts and marketing experts telling us how to make money, how to save money, how to spend money. We have spiritual experts telling us how to meditate, where to pray, which church to attend. Everywhere we turn, we can find “advice,” whether we seek it or not. 


And it can be so easy to fall into the trap of following the latest expert, right? I consider myself to have a fairly limited social media presence, compared to many others, and even I follow 4 different health/diet experts, a yoga instructor, and 2 mindfulness teachers on YouTube. I could easily subscribe to hundreds more, if I felt so inclined. The Almighty Algorithm always provides. 


The self-help industry brings in something like $50 billion dollars a year. As much as many may claim to be well-intentioned people who simply want to help others, the reality is that if we start going rogue and listening to ourselves, it’s going to impact their pocketbooks. 


Even so, Dr. Chatterjee has a more-than-valid point: while swimming in this sea of expertise, we’ve forgotten to trust ourselves. I’ve noticed in my Digital Sabbath practice that when I turn off the voices (even the good ones), I can more clearly connect with myself and hear my own voice. Instead of seeking the next expert, I am going to seek the answers I already have within. 


Give it a try. You may be surprised by what you hear. 





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