I recently took up swimming again after a 20-year hiatus.

I swim just well enough to accomplish my goal, which is to get aerobic exercise that doesn’t hurt my aging body parts. Summer classes at the municipal pool when I was a kid have given me a basic level of competence.

But if we want someone to swim a mile in 22 minutes or rescue a drowning child, we need a professional, or at least a dedicated amateur – someone with a high level of competence.

Could I learn to swim a mile in 22 minutes or rescue a drowning child? Probably not. Maybe if the child isn’t too far away and the water isn’t rough.

Certainly I could get better at swimming – just not 22-minute-mile better. I’d have to improve my technique, so I’d need a coach. Likely I’d have to unlearn bad habits. It would take lots of practice.

I just don’t have the time or energy. I have a day job.

Most people who are not professional writers have a basic level of competence in writing. They write perfectly good emails. However, most people struggle if they face the equivalent of a 22-minute mile: