Unavoidable Sloppy Mistakes Only Professionals Make

Is there anything more frustrating? Are they really unavoidable?

oil painting of a man trying to catch the moon, not realising he is walking off a cliff — by DALL·E

A Recent Fascination

Recently, I have been fascinated by how hard it has been for me to complete easy tasks. It isn’t a new occurrence, but it is the first time I realise it. As I improve in different fields, I can see patterns between worlds I once believed to be independent. Admittedly, if I stop to think about it, it is rather unsurprising: everything is somehow interconnected. In particular, learning is a similar process regardless of what we learn. It has become hard to do the easy work because it is boring once we can take on a challenge.

Blinded By The Light

Many hours go into gaining proficiency in any one skill. As we take that ability further, it is tempting to let the allure of the new heights blind us to what we do effortlessly. Undoubtedly, the result is embarrassing sloppiness nobody expects from us. Thus, the thrill of being able to play intricate guitar riffs might distract us from keeping time and key. Similarly, the excitement of being able to combine ten different instruments in one track might make the song sound duller than it did with two. Unless we become aware of this dynamic, things can quickly worsen.