Do you consider yourself an expert?
Most women don’t.
I’ve been curiously watching and listening to women in business – we’re talking smart, savvy women who know a TON about their subject matter.
And yet, when it comes to stepping up and declaring their expertise for all the world to hear, they’d rather drink cold coffee while waxing their legs.
Why is this?
Why are women so shy about stepping up into their power and owning their expertise?
This has come up more than a few times with my Making it BIG in Business members. And it’s been so awesome to see them have a few light bulb moments realizing that they ARE in fact experts. And that they can embrace it and fully lean into it.
Let’s unpack the word for a second. According to Dicitionary.com, an expert is:
ex·pert
[n., v. ek-spurt; adj. ek-spurt, ik-spurt]
–noun
A person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority: a language expert.
-adjective
Possessing special skill or knowledge; trained by practice; skillful or skilled
I think the word “expert” has become too loaded with unnecessary meaning. We’ve built it up to be this title only reserved for “gurus and superstars.”
And that’s just a bunch of B.S.
The truth is, you are an expert. I may not know you and the details of your life, but I can promise you that you ARE an expert in at least one (if not many) areas of your life.
The problem is that we take it for granted. We assume that just because we know how to do it, everyone else does too (they don’t). And that if it comes easy to you, it must come easy to everyone else (it doesn’t).
The other stumbling block is based in fear – fear that there are people who know more than you do about your topic or area of expertise.
I have a secret for you.
There are.
And there always will be.
So (with love) – get over it!
Here’s the awesome part. It doesn’t matter – like, at all!
Your ideal client/customer isn’t listening to that other person – she’s listening to you. She wants to learn from you. She wants to buy from you. She resonates with YOU! And she’s ready to soak up all the genius you can give her.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you, I want you to think back to junior high (ugh…memories of a bad perm and a public bathing suit mishap…). Anyway – think back to your first days in junior high. Close your eyes and remember what it was like to be that vulnerable, want-to-fit-in, pre-adolescent girl. And think about the older girls – the ones who seemed SOOO cool and so out of reach.
Do you remember wanting to get their attention? Or maybe even idolizing one of them? Wishing you could hurry up and get older so you could be the cool kid in school? I do!
And that’s how you have to frame your expert status.
You may only be in grade 9 on the expert status level – but to a 7th grader – you might as well be Madonna.
So target 7th graders, or 4th graders or anybody that will flourish when they have the information or resources you provide. The truth is, a 7th grader isn’t looking to be like a 12th grader – it’s too out of reach and not relatable. But a 9th grader? That’s within the realm of possibility.
Being an expert doesn’t mean being the very best in the entire world. It means owning that you have some unique talents, gifts and strengths that a segment of the population (read: your ideal clients) are waiting for. And they want it from YOU. You are that cool kid – that 9th grader that can literally change the life of a 7th grader with your genius.
And if that wasn’t enough – here’s another bonus.
According to some study I read (pretty official eh?), it said that you only need to read 2-3 books on any given topic to be considered an expert. Yep – that’s it. Why? Because that’s about 3 more than most of the population has read on the subject!
So – my challenge to you dear women in business is to start stepping up and really embracing your role as an expert. You don’t have to literally go out and say, “Hey – I’m an expert – pay attention to me!!!” I’m just talking about a mindset shift here whereby you start really coming from the place of an expert. It means you create your services and products, write your blog posts and conduct business as the expert you are.
No one is ever going to come and appoint you an expert. You have to do this for yourself!
And if not now, when?
