Elon Musk didn't build Tesla alone. He studied thousands of research papers, hired the best minds, and asked relentless questions. He built his success on borrowed knowledge. That's not cheating—it's smart strategy.

Many people believe successful individuals do it alone. We have this romantic notion of the self-made person. Some think Edison was in a room by himself when—BOOM—the light bulb appeared. But he had collaborators.

At the end of virtually every movie is a list of people who made it possible: onscreen talent, sound engineers, camera operators. The list is endless.

It's virtually impossible to understand everything that goes into success, let alone all aspects of a fulfilling life. To succeed, we need to know how to do our jobs, raise kids, maintain a healthy marriage, understand the mind-body connection, and manage many other critical aspects of life. There are limits to the bandwidth and focus one person has. You'd be fortunate to develop mastery in even one area.

One way to infuse the knowledge and expertise you need to live an amazing life is to collaborate with people who've developed their own mastery. This is a director hiring a screenwriter, cameraperson, actors, and multiple assistants—plus many other key people who bring their expertise, skillsets, and competencies. Think of a CEO of a large company who brings in marketing experts, product development specialists, salespeople, and support staff who make the company run.

These days, the value of expertise is being diminished. People think they can just Google anything or ask AI. In some cases, that works. It's valuable and has its place, but it's challenging to match the interaction with a true expert who can give you feedback, advice, and encouragement. Often, these experts have decades of experience. Being able to infuse them into your life is invaluable and reduces your learning curve dramatically. Imagine having a goal and talking to someone with expertise who can infuse ideas into your processes and habits.

Here's how to tap into expertise:

First, understand what you want—whether that's getting healthier, advancing in your industry, becoming an entrepreneur, or creating a more romantic and adventurous marriage. Next, acknowledge there's more to learn and that you can learn from others who've achieved similar goals. Stay open-minded and let them influence your mindset and approach. Ask lots of questions and act like a sponge, demonstrating curiosity and willingness to learn and transform. This might mean getting a mentor, hiring a coach, working with a therapist, or hiring a trainer to prepare you for a marathon.

I've always valued and had reverence for experts. I knew having conversations and being challenged by others could only enhance my approach, uncover blind spots, and strengthen my processes and habits. Throughout college and my career, I always had mentors. I invested in high-end coaching. Each person gave me valuable insights I couldn't get anywhere else. They improved my processes, mindset, and approach.

It can take decades to develop mastery or even competence in one area of life. The main way we learn is through other people. Unfortunately, as kids we cannot wait to have independent thought and agency. Some carry that mindset into adulthood and never open themselves up to new ideas and strategies. Meanwhile, we need to build careers, maintain our homes, eat right, raise good kids, and manage countless other responsibilities.

Tapping into people who have expertise in areas you want to develop is a powerful strategy for improving your life. Nobody will care how much you learned from others. This is the same approach successful people use to achieve their goals.

Start today. Identify one area where you need expertise, find someone who's already mastered it, and reach out. Your future self will thank you.