Just like “Connecting Rainbows” isn’t really about rainbows and my recent “Déjà Vu” experiences weren’t really promnesia, this posting isn’t really about “How to Make Chicken Soup”. It’s just another one of my crazy analogies. If you were really looking for a recipe on how to make chicken soup, I apologize.
During my recent great therapy session, my therapist and I were discussing road blocks that I have in my work-at-home mom career. (Hmm… road blocks… another analogy.) What is stopping me from moving forward? Well… I’m not an “expert” on anything. “Be the expert“ and “You don’t necessarily have to be the expert, you just have to appear to be one” are comments that I’ve heard over and over again in the WAHM community. (Just to be clear, I’m not entirely sure this is what was said, only what I heard.) I can’t work that way. I think that’s lying and being phoney! Whether I heard it right, or not, whether it’s being phoney, or not, doesn’t even matter. What matters is that somewhere in my mind, I believed it. I believed that I had to be an expert or I couldn’t get anywhere with my work.
However, just as soon as I said that out loud, a new thought popped into my mind. Chicken Soup for the Soul! Ah ha! I don’t HAVE to be an expert! I don’t HAVE to know everything! Who says I can’t use other people’s information and opinions (with permission, of course) to pull that together? Seriously… Chicken Soup for the Soul wasn’t written by one person. It is a compilation of other stories presented by two people (Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen). I can do that! I can use my vision and my knowledge of the subject and fill in the blanks with information others already know. DUH! Seems like a no-brainer NOW! (Those road blocks can be rough.)
Now there are messages out there everywhere confirming this thought and I can retrain my tricky little mind into believing a new reality. On Twitter this morning, @AWHWorg said “Don’t wait until you are ‘expert’ enough! Find other experts & great resources. Be the talent scout. Ask Q’s for your customers. Get set GO!“ And I didn’t previously follow her on Twitter. Someone else retweeted her comment for me to find. And then I found this article: You Don’t Need to Be an Expert to Be Successful (different subject, same bullet points).
The universe is talking to me. 
P.S. The “work” I was referring to in this blog is for my Home Fitness for Women website, in case you want to visit.
Right on! I am just realizing this too. I do think we often underestimate our own expertise, but also, we can act as a resource and clearinghouse for information that busy people otherwise wouldn’t have time to find. Then we can add our personal spin to it.
If you look at many experts, that’s really what they’re doing, too. David Neagle is a great example of this. He inspires people by finding inspirational works that already exist, calling people’s attention to these works, and highlighting the points he thinks are most important.
Of course, in the process of finding and sharing other people’s stuff, you actually do become an expert.