Hiding Behind Your Podium of Expertise

I subscribe to a number of blogs; some of these are dailies and others “as and when”, some are a bit off the wall, some thought provoking and others deadly serious.

One of my favourites (daily, off the wall type) is Havi’s blog, The Fluent Self. Today she used the phrase “hiding behind your podium of expertise” which I have swiped for the title of my blog – thank you Havi. And this is what Havi has to say about hiding (my comments: apply this to blogs, the way we communicate with colleagues, clients, the man in the street, family friends etc etc ….)

“The more you hide behind your podium of expertise, the more distance you put between you and the reader. And not the sexy kind of distance. The off-putting, chasm-building, “I can’t connect with this person” kind. We all ruin posts all the time by thinking we have to have a point every single time, or forgetting to admit that yeah, there are things we don’t know. Puffed-up biggified experts who speak only in authoritative lists of seven ways to do this and eight ways to screw up that … they’re a dime a dozen. They’re interchangeable. They’re expendable. We’re not coming for your expertise, really. There are all sorts of places to get that. Sure, the information is nice. But we’re really coming for you.”

Thanks again Havi.

Some people make the world go round

Yes, some people really do make the world go round - and are exceptionally special.

I need to talk about my cousin’s wife Avril. Michael and Avril transferred to the US towards the end of last from Germany. Another strange country for Avril – Michaels job has taken them to a number of countries and Avril has be truly amazing. She gets involved with whatever is happening locally, joins clubs, learns the language (at least they speak English where she is now – well sort of), keeps a fabulous house and is very often left on her own as Michaels work takes him off on business all over the world. And I have never heard Avril complain.

But the most special thing about her is that she is always in touch with her family – and Michaels. She is the only person I know now that takes time to buy the birthday cards and Christmas cards and, low and behold, a few days before your birthday the card is in the mail box. All too often now days, a quick birthday email is what one expects – so this “old fashioned” card makes the day so much more special – she never forgets. And not to mention the regular newsy emails about their lives, the dogs, what they have been doing and seeing. I swear Avril should put all these letters together in a book. She writes so well and it is a pleasure to share their travels and happenings with them!

She is such a star and my first resolution for the New Year is to follow her lead.

Joy – a new car!

I at long last decided to take the plunge and get a new car – well almost brand new with only 8000kms on the clock - and picked it up over the weekend.

I have had a couple of heart-stopping moments of not being able to find it in parking lots because I am looking for my old red car – this one is gold. I have a more than one heart-stopping moment thinking that fully laden taxis are heading straight for me or pulling onto the freeway at 25kph. I am still getting used to controls as they are all on the wrong side and keep flicking the windscreen wipers instead of the indicators – my brain will hopefully be imprinted soon!

I now have to teach my cat about the new car – she runs down the drive to meet me and jumps into the car for a little ride…. So she must get used to the new sound, shape and colour.

And yeah – it is so nice to drive a new car – it is comfortable, goes like a rocket (haven’t fully tested this yet!) and is lovely to drive.