Everyone seems to be an expert these days. With so many ebooks, manifestos, books, and courses out there, you never know which of these experts’ work will be just the right blueprint or playbook that’s going to make you a fortune.
While the past few years have seen an upsurge of experts, only a few seem to have a method to the madness. And some of them went the extra mile to share their blueprints (the systems, processes and everything in between… ) with the world, hoping everyone benefits from their successes too! Unfortunately, only a few are capable of following instructions to the tee. Often they get swooned away by some other expert from another corner of the world selling them an even bigger dream. We know what happens next, don’t we?
I’m a strong believer in success leaving clues. But I also believe that sometimes the best way isn’t the follow the trail but figuring out things by yourself by constantly innovating, experimenting and taking risks. Following a roadmap is a great idea but blindly following it would suck the creative process that can only be experienced when you keep your eyes open.
For example, have you ever blindly followed Google maps? While it’s a quintessential map, it’s not perfect. I’ve driven through some of the roughest terrains, narrowest streets and through the strangest neighborhood thanks to blindly following the map. And I could’ve clearly avoided all that if I had used my common sense.
Sometimes our experiences and creativity hold the key to better options and answers to our biggest challenges.
Likewise, I believe that the best blueprints or playbooks are written by the ones who didn’t have a clue yet they took massive risks and went to extremes to figure it all out. The experts who seem to be “doing good” are often the ones who’ve trodden this path. They document it, share it and are constantly updating it for themselves and others they share their playbooks with.
As an end-user, you can either create your own playbook or adapt someone else’s but will an open mind to invest in the time, energy and resources to make it your own. But the big question is, would you?