Not all of us have big egos, so maybe we’re hesitant to call ourselves experts in something even when we really are. That’s OK. Humble is good. But you also need to be confident, and that means knowing where your strengths lie and not being afraid to talk about them.
When you start publishing your thoughts and ideas, it’s surprising how quickly people will begin to see you as an expert. No matter the medium—blog posts, guest posts, books of any kind—your words will carry weight.
Assuming that you actually know what you’re writing about, you will begin to build a reputation as an authority. The more you publish, the more solid that reputation becomes. That’s great, you say, but what’s the point? How does that end up benefiting me?
I’m so glad you asked.
A reputation as an expert will help you succeed in your life goals, whether that’s to move up in your profession or to grow your business by gaining more, and better-paying, clients. These are tangible, financially motivated goals, but there are others. You will gain the satisfaction of teaching others about your field of expertise. By teaching others, you will learn how to better explain complex topics and processes, and that will make you a better writer and communicator. You will learn new things and fresh perspectives. You will discover new friends and new opportunities, some lifelong, some life changing. And that’s probably not the half of it, but you get the idea.
All of this doesn’t come without a price, of course, and that’s hard work. Writing is hard. Explaining things is hard. Communicating effectively is hard. Being an entertaining, engaging writer is hard. There’s a learning curve for everything we do, and writing (and publishing) are steep paths to take. You already know that, I expect, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded that you work for what you earn.
But I’d like to think that if you’ve stayed with me this far, you already know the joy that can come from writing, whether it’s personal or business. I hope that you take this new year and begin to publish your work. You won’t know where it will take you until you’ve tried it.
(If you need some direction, let us know. We’re happy to help.)
