“Just because something feels obvious to you doesn’t mean it’s obvious to everyone else.”
Hey Rollers,
Firstly, a quick welcome to those of you who subscribed after my keynote in KZN this morning. Stoked you’re here.
One of the things I enjoy most about conferences is that I get to sit in the audience as much as I stand on the stage and this morning was no different.
I listened to a number of speakers before delivering my own talk and, as always, there were a few moments that landed. Not necessarily because the ideas were revolutionary, but because they were reminders of things I’d either forgotten or simply hadn’t thought about for a while.
Then I stepped onto the stage myself.
Afterwards, a few people came up to chat. Some mentioned ideas from the talk that resonated with them. Others shared notes they had taken, or repeated concepts back to me.
And I found myself having the same thought I often have after speaking.
It’s funny how obvious some of these ideas feel to me now.
I’ve spoken about them hundreds of times. I’ve read about them. Written about them. Tested them. Refined them. They’ve become familiar.
But for somebody sitting in the audience, it might have been the first time they’d ever heard them.
That reminded me of a phrase I’ve heard many times over the years:
“What’s big in your world is not big in the world.”
Usually, it’s used as a reminder to keep perspective. The thing consuming your thoughts today is probably far less significant than it feels in the moment.
And don’t get me wrong, there’s wisdom in that, but I’ve also started thinking about the phrase a little differently.
What’s big in your world is also not necessarily known in the world.
The things you think are obvious.
The lessons you’ve learned.
The mistakes you’ve made.
The experiences you’ve accumulated.
They’re obvious to you because you’ve lived with them for years. Everyone else hasn’t.
And I think this is where a lot of knowledge quietly dies.
We assume people already know. We assume the lesson is too simple to share. The story is too familiar. The insight is too obvious.
So we keep it to ourselves.
Meanwhile, somebody else is still waiting to hear the thing you’ve already moved on from.
I see this in coaching all the time.
People dismiss their own experiences because they no longer find them interesting. They’re too close to them. Too familiar.
But familiarity doesn’t only reduce value, often it increases it.
The things that have become second nature to you are usually the things somebody else is still trying to figure out.
After all, you’re best positioned to help the person you once were, right?
Which means the question isn’t whether something feels obvious to you.
The question is whether it might still be useful to someone else.
Maybe it’s true of your experiences.
Maybe it’s true of your knowledge.
Maybe it’s true of your story.
Just because something is no longer novel to you doesn’t mean it isn’t exactly what somebody else needs to hear.
Until next week.
Keep rolling.
Justin 👊
Take Action in 3 Minutes:
Think about one lesson, habit, or insight that feels completely obvious to you today.
Now ask yourself:
Who taught me that?
Because if somebody once had to teach it to you, there is probably somebody who still needs to hear it.
Don’t assume they already know.