A couple weeks ago I took my son downhill skiing for the first time.
Everything went really well, and after five hours of skiing, the perfect way to cap off our adventure, I thought, would be two piping hot cups of hot chocolate.
After returning our equipment, I asked one of the rental staff employees, “Quick question: Where’s the closest place I can order a cup of hot chocolate?”
“You can get it at the blue box,” he said, “or at the indoor café.”
“OK . . . ,” I said, having no idea what he meant by “blue box,” “Which is better?”
“Um, whichever has the shortest line,” he replied, a little annoyed or mystified by my question.
“OK. Could you actually point me in the right direction? I have no idea where to go.”
At this point my helper was getting a little exasperated. “Step out that door and look to your right.”
I did, and voila! A little blue ordering booth with no line stood ready to take my order.
As I walked back to our vehicle, delicious hot chocolate in hand, I wondered about the staffer’s frustration with me.
And that’s when I realized, Ooh, he was frustrated because he’s walked by that “blue box” a hundred, maybe thousands of times. How could I not know where it is!?
The truth is, I had already walked past it a few times myself; I just never paid attention to it until this man told me I should.
What’s the lesson here?
What’s obvious to you is not obvious to others.
Often writers struggle with a belief that they don’t have enough to offer.
You’ve heard of Imposter Syndrome?
It’s what happens when we believe we don’t really belong in the position we’re in, in this case the position of being an expert on a particular topic, teaching others about it.
But just remember: what’s obvious to you is not obvious to others.
If you take this to heart, my guess is you will have a lot more to offer than you ever imagined.
You’ll not only be more helpful to your readers.
You’ll be helpful to more readers.
Question: In what area are things obvious to you that may not be obvious to others? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
What a great reminder, Chad! I often feel this way—sometimes it’s that I wonder if others really care about what I’m teaching and other times I think that I may not be as qualified as others to teach. You’re absolutely right, though. And now I have cool visual to remind me to keep pointing out what’s obvious to me. 😉