Exceptionally Unexceptional

I have a confession to make: I’m not an expert.

At least I don’t think I am.

I’ve always considered myself a generalist.
A “Jack of all trades” …but a “master” of anything in particular? Nah.

Most days I believe this gives me a competitive advantage. But sometimes I worry….

Is being decent at a lot of things decent enough?

Doubt creeps in.

In a world that celebrates specialists and exceptionalism, is there room at the table for the well-rounded?

Shoot. Is there even room for second place?

The Olympics were less than a year ago. How many silver medalists can you name?

Do we care that the Kansas City Chiefs are the second best football team in the country, or do we just think of them as Super Bowl losers? (Granted, I’m from Philly, so they’ll always be losers in my book 😝).

Social media is flooded with people flaunting their successes (real or Photoshopped) and glossing over their failures.

It’s easy to get discouraged when we see other people in our industry seemingly knocking it out of the park, when we’re just hitting singles. We fall into the comparison trap.

“Why should anyone hire me when [insert name of impressive competitor] is a lot more accomplished?”

“Why would someone trust me to help them grow their business when I’m still experimenting and refining my own?”

Let me ask you this:

Why are you playing the game?

You don't need to get on a cereal box to score points. You need to get on base.

If your goal is to solve problems and serve people well, don’t discount the value of simply showing up. Step up to the plate and swing at the best opportunities. That’s what your clients really want: someone who is willing to show up, troubleshoot, and help them make progress.

And you will help them make progress. Let’s not lose sight – baseball is just a metaphor here (and thank goodness, because I can barely hit a tee ball). We’re actually talking about something you are skilled at.

You know what you’re doing! Maybe you’re still getting your business established and have a lot of room to grow. But nobody has it all figured out. Even the top players are still working through their own stuff behind the scenes. The ones who get hired are the ones who show up, do the work, and make things better for their clients.

I don’t have all the answers, but I’ll do my best to find them.

I am committed to doing my best to serve you as well as I can. Hopefully this will serve and encourage you right now:

You don’t have to be the best in the world; you just have to do your best for the people God puts in your path.

Be curious. Be helpful. Be willing to say, “I’m not sure, but I’ll find out.”

Most people are just looking for someone who will actually do that.

That kind of commitment? It’s rare.

And that can make you pretty exceptional.