Confidence without discipline can be dangerous I

n another life, 25 years or so ago, I stumbled upon some freelance work reviewing restaurants in Edmonton.

I brought to this assignment two key ingredients: An ability to write with modest élan, and a stomach.

That said, the one vital ingredient missing in my suitability to pass judgment on an eating establishment was any worthwhile understanding of food and/or its preparation. At the time, I could barely boil an egg without proper directions for heating water.

That this freelance gig lasted 10 years, produced one book and more than 500 reviews will be, forever, the most unlikely accomplishment of my life.

Like most of us, I am afflicted — sometimes, overwhelmed — by self-doubt. I often look back on those years writing about food and think: “How the hell did I pull that one off?”

People who appear to be utterly oblivious to their own limitations — as I was reviewing restaurants — fascinate me. It takes a special moxy to brazenly do something you have no business doing. The president-elect of the United States pops to mind.

So, too, does the woman who was allegedly performing surgery in the basement of her North Delta home.

If you are unaware of the story, on Dec. 20 of last year, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, escorted by Delta Police, raided the home of Zhuo Li, who is now under investigation for performing cosmetic surgery and injection procedures without a licence to practise medicine or, it seems, any medical training beyond on-the-nose-job experience and Wikipedia.

The dictionary, in its kindest chapter, calls this “hubris.”

I prefer the descriptive Dr. Heidi Oetter of the college gave it: “Horrific.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m mostly supportive of autodidacts. Being self-taught can lead to amazing things, like the Mona Lisa and Electric Ladyland. Sadly, it can also lead to cosmetic surgery in a basement.

I phoned Amy Lloyd of Lloyd Counselling Thursday to discuss career advice as it applies to people who have zero grasp of the unachievable. She rightly pointed out the obvious, that anyone who thinks they can do anything isn’t rushing to a career counsellor for guidance.

“People who are unrealistically high in self esteem, or narcissistic, well, they are the last people who think they have a problem, so they are not going to be looking for help,” she told me.

“That said, some people have incredible talents and skills that are just inherent. They are naturally musical, artistic or gifted at sales. That level of ability can be amazing to work with as a counsellor because they are already far ahead of the game. But it has to be coupled with discipline. There are probably people out there who can run faster than the fastest person we have on record, but it’s the discipline to follow through on training that matters as much as a natural ability. That’s where the schools of learning come in, so we can figure out who can and can’t do a particular job.”

I don’t know what’s to become of Ms. Li and this predicament that has embroiled her and her family. If the allegations are true, there are victims here and she will have to be penalized for her behaviour. She no doubt has some smarts and skills and ought to consider a career that does not involve the medical reconstruction of a person’s face.

Something less dangerous like restaurant critic come to mind.