2.3 Know What You Know (and What You Don’t) - Circle of Competence
You wouldn’t ask your math teacher for dating advice, right? Let’s talk about knowing your strengths and weaknesses.
Imagine you're amazing at art but not so great at math, or vice versa. Would you volunteer to do all the complex calculations in a project when there's someone else who loves doing that? Probably not, you'd stick to making the project look awesome with your art skills. That's the idea behind the Circle of Competence. Everyone has their own circle—things they're really good at or know a lot about. Outside that circle are things they're not familiar with (yet!). A smart thinker knows what's inside their circle of competence and is humble about what's outside it.
What is Circle of Competence?
Your circle of competence is basically the zone of things you understand well. Inside the circle = you got this. Outside the circle = you might struggle or need help. The term originally comes from investing (like knowing industries you understand before buying stocks), but it applies to everyday life too. It's not a fixed circle—you can expand it by learning new stuff—but at any moment it's good to know what your strong areas are.
In simple terms: know what you know, and know what you don’t know. It's totally okay not to know everything (nobody does!). The trick is to play to your strengths when you can, and when you step outside your circle, be ready to learn or ask for advice.
Real-Life Circle of Competence Examples
School Subjects & Projects: If English and history are your jam but science confuses you, your circle of competence might include writing and research but not chemistry (at least for now). So, in a group project, you might offer to write the report (strength) and let the science whiz handle the experiment design. Or if you're doing a personal project, maybe you spend extra time or get tutoring for the chemistry parts because you know it's outside your circle. Knowing this saves time and frustration—you contribute where you shine and get help where you don't.
Sports & Hobbies: Think of a basketball team. If you're great at defense but not a strong shooter, that's your playing zone. You wouldn't suddenly decide to be the three-point hero in the championship game (not without practice), because that's outside your competence right now. Instead, you focus on blocking shots and grabbing rebounds, helping the team in the best way you can. Meanwhile, you might practice shooting in the off-season to expand your skills (growing your circle!).
Everyday Know-How: Let's say your friend asks for advice about fixing their computer because you're the "techie" friend. If you know about software but not hardware, you might say, "I can help reinstall a program, but I don't know how to replace the hard drive." That honesty is circle of competence in action. Or if everyone's debating a world event in history class and you haven't read about it, it's wiser to listen or ask questions than to pretend you know. Admitting "I'm not sure about that, tell me more" is actually super smart.
Recognizing your circle isn't a weakness—it's a strength. It means you're self-aware and can make better decisions about where to focus your energy or when to seek help. Even experts like scientists, athletes, or entrepreneurs have specific niches they're good at.
Challenge: Map Your Circle
Let's do a quick activity. Your challenge is to map out your own circle of competence:
Take a piece of paper and draw a circle. Inside, write 3-5 things you consider yourself knowledgeable or skilled at (school subjects, skills, topics, etc.).
Outside the circle, write a few things you know you're not too familiar with but maybe would like to learn more about.
For the next project or problem you face, check your circle. Are you dealing with something inside it (cool, go for it with confidence!) or outside it (also cool, but maybe find a resource or person to help)?