Expertise--A Matter of Limits?

Dan Drezner has a great take on how one becomes an expert.  I'd just like to point out that number 9 on the list is that an expert needs to recognize his/her limits.  Indeed, knowing your limitations is an on-going theme here at the Spew.  The more you know, the more you should be aware of what you do not know. 

My year in the Pentagon was, as they say there, like drinking from the firehose--I got exposed to alot of information over a short period of time.  So, I learned a great deal about how US foreign policy made.  But I also realized that there is far more I do not really understand.  I thought I knew how NATO worked, but I had no clue.  The current project that takes me to Copenhagen this evening is aimed at answering some of the questions that were raised nearly ten years ago in the five-sided building.

Last night, I had a much better ultimate experience than the week before, in part because I didn't try to be the hero on the last possession, but instead made an easier pass to someone who then made the scoring pass into the endzone.  Knowing my limits and those of my teammates has been, I think, one of my advantages on the field. I just have to adjust as my limits increase as I age.