I’m not an expert in anything, but I do enjoy writing this blog.  When someone first suggested that I start a blog I resisted the notion.  I never saw myself that way.  I’m not an expert on any subject.  I’m not a coffee lover or life experiencer.  No one would read it.

I changed my mind last fall when I read a blog post by Seth Godin.  He said he had been blogging daily since the early 1990’s.  Almost 30 years!

The part that changed my mind was when he said he would blog even if no one read it because it made him think.  He had to come up with something useful every day.  It caused him to notice things in everyday life that he wouldn’t ordinarily notice.

It is sad that people feel they must be an expert in order to contribute something useful.  A quick Google search will reveal all sorts of expert bloggers.  I’ve never seen anyone “bill” themselves as moderately knowledgeable about anything.  

I have a friend who says, “in order to be an expert, you must be at least 50 miles away.”  He is right.  Think about the last time you looked for a speaker or consultant in your field.  Did you look in your hometown for an expert or did you insist that they be from Raleigh, Atlanta, or New York?

The good news is on the innerwebs you are at least 50 miles from everyone in the world.  Write a blog.  

Everyone has something to say.  Writing about different topics each day prevents falling into a “rut”, causes us to consider different topics, and provides a creative outlet to exercise our brain.

It’s hard to put yourself out there.  To keep producing and shipping the product not knowing if people will like it.  You just have to keep trying until you produce something that people want.

Most people have that co-worker at lunch who is willing to give advice on everything.  They are the local expert.  They tell you what to do.

The more successful expert is not the one who tells you what to do, but the one who makes you think.