Someone Needs You

Last week, I published an article titled “The (Anti-) Perfectionist’s Manifesto.”

It’s not the most eloquent article I’ve ever written.

And you know how, sometimes when you’re writing, the words flow out beautifully?

This was not one of those articles.

It was challenging to write and imperfect. But hey, “done” is better than “perfect.”

Here’s a comment I got on that article.

And here’s a Facebook post from one of my friends.

“I needed this…”

Did you catch that part?

Two people needed that article. That imperfect piece I struggled to write actually had an impact on them.

Sure, you could argue that two people isn’t that many.

But it’s two more people than I would have impacted if I never published it.

It’s just a game, right?

As another example of the point I’m about to make (stick with me), I was looking at the sales page for a golf product the other day.

It was designed to help golfers eliminate their “slice.”

(I had to look up what that meant. Because despite being a middle class white male who joined a fraternity in college, I have, surprisingly, never been golfing.)

As I was watching the testimonial video, I realized that the guy was describing his golfing struggles the same way someone would describe trying to lose weight or fighting with the repercussions of a bad decision.

It seemed like he was legitimately experiencing shame around his golf game.

That was a bit surprising for me. I mean, it’s just a game…right?

Maybe to you. But not to him.

But both of these situations illustrate an important fact:

If you have a message, someone out there needs to hear it.

That writer needed to hear that she didn’t need to be perfect.

My friend needed to hear that too.

And that golfer needed to hear that he actually could fix his slice. He needed to know there was hope.

My point:

Someone out there needs to hear what you have to say.

So, while it’s easy to get caught in the trap of

“I don’t have anything worthwhile to say”

Or…

“I don’t have anything to say that hasn’t already been said before”

Here’s what I’d tell you:

You’re probably right, but don’t let that stop you.

Someone has undoubtedly already said what you want to say.

One of my clients is a New York Times bestselling author and he says a version of this to hopeful authors:

“There is nothing new under the sun. But no one else has had YOUR unique experience or could tell the story the same way YOU would tell it.”

So yes, you might not present a brand-new idea. But you might be able to present an existing message in a new light. And, if nothing else, you can serve as a reminder or a ray of hope to someone who needs your message in that exact moment.

What you have to say might not be new, but it could still be incredibly impactful for someone.

Remember that.