Artificial intelligence and other technologies have given us equal access.Most of us can use the same AI tools, borrow the same books, and sign up for the same courses. When everyone has the same resources, those resources stop being an advantage.
So what will set people apart now? Applied knowledge. Your edge is not what you have access to. It is what you do with it.
Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking about this idea from four angles. Each one points to the same lesson.
Same Tools, Different Results
I read Mark Manson's newsletter recently, and it made me think. All of us now have access to the same technology and tools. That has evened out the advantages.
I know that sounds cliché, but it changes everything. When everyone has the same tools, the tools stop being an advantage. Your knowledge of how to use them becomes the differentiating factor.
Two people can open the same AI tool. One asks a basic question and moves on. The other learns what it can do, tests it on daily work, and builds a process around it.
Same tool, different results. Over time, the gap between those two people grows. The first person sees a novelty, while the second gains a partner in their work. And they leverage the partnership.
So this is worth thinking about. What can you do to learn more about your tools, their capabilities, and what they can do for you?
Same Books, Different Readers
Most of us have access to the same books. Libraries are free. With a library card and the Libby app, you can borrow e-books and audiobooks on your phone.
I use Libby to read and listen to books from my library, and it costs me nothing. Some books are expensive, but you can borrow most of them from the library . Access is not the problem.
Yet most people don't bother reading. There's a popular saying, often credited to Mark Twain, though no one has found it in his work. “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.”
I agree, but I would take it one step further. Many people who do read read passively. They finish the book, close it, and move on. Nothing changes in how they work or live.
A person who reads but never applies what they read has little advantage over the person who does not read.
Apply It or Lose It
Last year, I took a Coursiv course on artificial intelligence, and how to gain an advantage using the AI tools. You’ve probably seen their ads across social media platforms. One section of the course covered how to create better images.
Recently, I realized I had forgotten much of it. Some ideas came back to me only when I saw them again.
We have access to so much information. Courses, books, podcasts, newsletters. No one can remember everything.
Here's what I relearned. When you come across useful information, apply it right away. Then, keep applying it until it becomes normal.
The advantage lies here. Information you use once fades. Information you use repeatedly becomes a skill.
Knowledge on its own sits in a notebook. Applied knowledge takes you higher.
Your Forgotten Skills Are an Advantage
We all play many roles in life. Mother, father, sister, aunt, grandmother, friend, mentor.
Management thinker Charles Handy called this a portfolio life. In The Age of Unreason, he predicted careers would stop following one straight line. People would build a mix of roles, projects, and interests instead.
Handy saw home life, learning, and volunteer work as part of that portfolio too. Our working lives proved him right. Few people stay in one job for life anymore, and each role teaches us new skills.
I have worked as a ghostwriter, interviewer, trainer, and consultant on international trade. Each role gave me skills I still use, sometimes in ways I never expected.
Christina Wallace builds on this idea in her book, The Portfolio Life. She shows how your mix of skills, interests, and communities can lower your career risk and help you stand out.
Some skills become outdated. But many skills we set aside still have value. Everyone has access to the same tools, yet no one else has your mix of skills.
Put Applied Knowledge to Work This Week
Pick the parts that apply to you. You don't need to do all four at once.
- Learn one tool. Pick a tool you already use. Spend 15 minutes exploring a feature you have never tried, then use it on one task.
- Read with a purpose. Highlight one idea from your next book that you can use this week. Write where you will apply it. Then test it.
- Use it three times. Apply new information within 24 hours. Use it again within the week, and set a reminder to review your notes in a month.
- Open your toolkit. List every role you've held, paid or unpaid. Circle one forgotten skill and ask how it could help you today.
Everyone has the same tools, the same books, and the same flood of information. What sets you apart is what you do next. Start small. Keep going, and let applied knowledge become your competitive edge.
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