Don't Create an Idol for Yourself: Why It's Important Not to Put People on a Pedestal?
🙅♂️ Don’t Create an Idol for Yourself: Why It’s Important Not to Put People on a Pedestal
When I first started my journey in development, I looked at experienced colleagues with awe. It seemed to me that they knew everything, understood everything, and never made mistakes. I thought: “How smart they are! Why can’t I be like that?”
But after six months of work, I realized an important thing — it was all an illusion.
Myth # 1: Others Succeed Effortlessly
We tend to think that successful people do everything easily and without effort. But the truth is that everyone has their own difficulties, problems, and mistakes. We just see the result, not the journey.
Imagine that you only see the final version of code in a pull request. It seems like everything was done perfectly the first time. But if you could see all the intermediate versions, deleted lines, and rewritten functions, you would understand that the path wasn’t that smooth.
// What we see (final version)
const calculateEfficiency = (tasks, time) => {
if (time === 0) return 0;
return tasks.reduce((sum, task) => sum + task.points, 0) / time;
};
// What we don't see (intermediate versions)
// const calc = (t) => t.points / t.time; // v1
// const calcEff = (tasks) => { // v2
// let sum = 0;
// for (let i = 0; i < tasks.length; i++) {
// sum += tasks[i].points;
// }
// return sum;
// };Myth # 2: Others Are Smarter Than Me
This is the most insidious illusion. When we put someone on a pedestal, we automatically consider ourselves worse. But in practice:
- Everyone has their own experience and knowledge
- Everyone has their own weaknesses
- Everyone has their own development path
I went through this myself. Gradually, I began to understand things that my “idols” didn’t understand. I proposed ideas they hadn’t thought of. I solved tasks that were difficult for them.
Why Do We Create Idols for Ourselves?
1. It’s Easier Than Thinking for Yourself
When you have an “authority,” you can simply follow their opinion without thinking. This saves mental energy but hinders development.
2. It Gives an Illusion of Competence
If you follow the advice of a “smart person,” you start to feel smarter. But it’s just an illusion.
3. It Relieves Responsibility
If something goes wrong, you can blame the “idol”: “He did it that way too.”
How Does This Hinder Development?
1. It Slows Down Critical Thinking
If you consider someone infallible, you stop analyzing their decisions. But even the best specialists make mistakes.
2. It Limits Creative Potential
When you blindly follow someone’s opinion, you don’t try your own approaches. But it’s precisely experimentation that leads to innovation.
3. It Creates a Psychological Barrier
You start thinking: “I can’t do this because I’m not as smart as him.” This is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
How to Get Rid of Idols?
1. Admire Results, Not Personalities
Instead of “He’s so smart,” think “This approach is interesting, I want to try it.”
2. Ask Questions
Don’t accept everything on faith. Ask: “Why exactly this way?”, “What alternatives were considered?“
3. Look for Weaknesses
Every solution has drawbacks. Try to find them. This will help you think critically.
4. Draw Your Own Conclusions
Don’t be afraid to come to different conclusions, even if they differ from an “authority’s” opinion.
Personal Experience: How I Stopped Creating Idols
When I first started working, I admired one experienced developer. It seemed like he knew everything about React, architecture, optimization. I blindly followed his advice.
But once I encountered a task that he couldn’t solve. And I could. Not just one way, but several. At that moment, I realized that my “idol” wasn’t infallible.
Since then, I’ve stopped putting people on pedestals. I started admiring interesting solutions, not personalities. I started asking more questions. And most importantly — I started believing in my own abilities.
Conclusion: Move Forward, Not Upward
You don’t need to put people above yourself. Instead, move forward. Everyone has their own path, their own strengths and weaknesses.
The hero’s journey is not about becoming like someone else, but about becoming the best version of yourself.
When you stop creating idols for yourself, you open the path for your own growth. You start to see that you can do more than you thought. You start proposing ideas that seemed impossible before.
So next time you want to admire someone, remember: you can do this too. And perhaps even better.