EPISODE 072 | APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY
The most valuable parts of our expertise often feel almost too simple to charge for. You might recognise this in your own work – those moments when you instinctively know exactly what needs to be done, when solutions appear effortlessly, when your natural abilities kick in without conscious thought. Perhaps you’ve found yourself downplaying these talents, assuming that if something feels easy, it can’t be worth much.
The Expertise Paradox
It’s a fascinating irony – the skills we’ve truly mastered, the ones that represent our deepest knowledge, are often the very ones we dismiss as “just basic” or “nothing special.” Think about driving a car. When you first learned, every action required intense concentration. Now? Most of it happens automatically. You’re not less skilled at driving; you’ve become so proficient that it feels effortless.
“The skills we’ve truly mastered, the ones that represent our deepest knowledge, are often the very ones we dismiss as ‘just basic’ or ‘nothing special.’”
This same pattern appears in creative work. Those moments when solutions appear instantly, when you instinctively know what will work – that’s not luck or simplicity. It’s expertise so deeply embedded that it feels like second nature.
The Journey to Natural Expertise
The process from conscious effort to natural ability follows a clear pattern. We start by learning deliberately, paying attention to every detail. Gradually, these skills become more automatic. Eventually, they feel so natural that we barely notice them. The challenge? Once we reach this level, we often stop recognising its value.
Consider a ceramicist who consistently creates perfectly balanced pieces. To her, the way she positions her hands on the wheel feels obvious, automatic. But watch a beginner try to centre clay, and you’ll see just how much skill is involved in making it look easy.
“When something flows effortlessly, it’s not because it’s simple – it’s because you’ve developed such deep expertise that it’s become second nature.”
The Hidden Cost of Undervaluing Our Work
When we undervalue our expertise, we end up undercharging for our most valuable work, while spending too much time focusing on less important details just to justify our prices. We miss crucial opportunities to build our businesses around what we do best, and often exhaust ourselves by overdelivering to compensate for prices that feel too high.
Perhaps most importantly, when we consistently undervalue our work, we’re not just affecting our own business – we’re actually diminishing the perceived value of our entire industry.
Recognising True Value
There’s an important distinction between something being “easy” and something being “effortless.” When a task is truly easy, anyone could do it with minimal training. But when something feels effortless to you while others find it challenging? That’s expertise. It’s the difference between a beginner getting lucky with a good photo and a professional photographer who consistently captures perfect moments because they instinctively understand light, composition, and timing.
Your most valuable natural abilities often show up in unexpected ways:
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Spotting potential problems before they happen
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Finding solutions that seem obvious to you but brilliant to others
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Instinctively adapting your approach for different clients
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Adding those little touches that “only take a minute” but make a huge difference
The Path Forward
The real transformation happens when we start recognising these natural abilities as the valuable assets they are. It’s not about charging more for the time something takes – it’s about charging appropriately for the expertise that makes it look easy.
When we truly recognise the worth of our natural expertise, it influences everything – from how we talk about our work to how we structure our offerings, creating a business that’s deeply aligned with the real value we provide.
“When we value our natural expertise appropriately, we create space for our best work to flourish. It’s not about charging more for time spent – it’s about understanding the true worth of the transformation we create.”
The Quiet Power of Natural Expertise
Those automatic responses, those intuitive solutions, those moments when you just know what will work – they’re all evidence of your expertise operating at its highest level. When something feels effortless, it’s not because it’s simple – it’s because you’ve developed such deep expertise that it’s become second nature.
Remember: What comes naturally to you is often what creates the most value for others. Your “normal” might be someone else’s extraordinary.
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