The Entrepreneurial Savant

Superficial knowledge and borrowed experience are the rewards of being an observer rather than a participant. No matter how much expertise you accumulate by watching, reading and listening, you will never truly experience success unless you take the plunge and go out into the deep water. When you become fascinated by a subject and go beyond the contemplation stage into the action stage your entire perspective changes. All kinds of opportunities open up. I’ll give you what may seem to be a far-fetched example.
A friend’s father is nearing retirement from a job with a large company. In the past few years he has become interested in carved duck decoys. These decoys have evolved from a utilitarian aid for hunters into an art form. In fact there are  competitions with categories for non-functional decoys that are judged solely on the skill of the carver. Our retiree has read books and articles on the subject, has calendars featuring photos of decoys and has often contemplating trying his hand at carving. One Christmas he is presented with a book of patterns and goes beyond reading and actually tries his hand at making a bird. His first attempts are amateurish but because he has actually done it, his insight into other’s work is radically changed. He begins to look at how they resolved certain problems and learns about carving competitions with categories designed for novices. He begins to enter and receives awards and encouragement from people who he had revered as experts.
After a few years of carving, his birds begin to sell for respectable prices. By now he specializes in certain birds and certain positions and has developed a style that is recognizable to decoy aficionados. His armchair interest in an esoteric discipline has become an important (and profitable) part of his life, opening up whole new groups of relationships and providing an interesting second career.
As soon as you explore an interest beyond what you can absorb through observation you are in new waters. To continue the metaphor, you may get swept along into an entirely new and fascinating life.

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