10,000 hours.

That is how much time you need to spend in practice to become an expert in a field according to Business Insider.  It begs the question; Am I an expert in Communications?

The simple answer is… yes, I am.

I spent four years in earning my bachelors degree, 13 years in the news business, 15 months in graduate school and over a year in my current Public Relations role.  Clearly, as a Comms major, math was never my favorite but I am sure I have hit that 10,000-hour mark.  That doesn’t include the research and study I have done on my own to keep up with the field.

 

 

Why am I even talking about any of this?  Frankly, it’s weird when I try to utter the words “I am an expert.”  I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way.

We need to get over it.  Fast.

The other day someone told me “Sherry, you are your own best advocate.  Nobody will care more about you than you.”  In that moment, I realized that I was selling myself short and I was potentially missing opportunities.  If I don’t see myself as an expert, why on earth should anyone else?

Now what?  Branding.

Of course, there are many ways to brand yourself.  Forbes provides a nice list to get you started.   It turns out I am such an expert in my field that I have already started branding myself and didn’t even know it!  I have written a book, published articles, have a blog (duh), use social media and started a YouTube channel.  I am also well on my way to becoming a professional speaker thanks to Toastmasters.  I am very passionate about Toastmasters, maybe that will be another post.  If you are looking to improve your public speaking and leadership skills, I highly recommend checking them out!  The final item on the list is the one I am doing now and that is to claim my expertise.  Apparently, I need some catchy tagline.

Do the work, become the expert.  When you finally get there, own the title!  Say it with me…

I AM AN EXPERT!