EVERYBODY’S AN EXPERT

5 Reasons Why You Should Stop Telling Me What I Should Do

#4: You can’t be world-class by regurgitating

Do I really need to point out that Medium is full of self-appointed gurus who pretend to know something about a topic and hope that they will garner enough reading time from you to make a few bucks (pennies)?

My Medium feed shows six articles above the fold. There is one poem. Three of them start with the words “How to” and two about writing habits and ability (and how not to suck and get better).

The trouble with these so-called experts is that they offer nothing of value because they have not learned these things themselves. How do I know that? Been there, done that, in a different incarnation before Medium.

The best way to learn something, they say, is to teach it to others. I understand that, but the best teachers are those who show you what they are learning, not the ones who think they know it all. Nothing pisses me off more than some twenty-something, barely out of diapers telling me what I should do to be successful.

So here are a few words of wisdom for the babes — from someone who’s been there and done that — someone who’s made the same mistakes and learned from them.

Here is why you shouldn’t tell me, or anyone else, what we should do.

Reason #1: You don’t know me

Since you don’t know me, you have no idea what I know or don’t know. You have no inclinations as to what my needs or challenges are. I have no problems learning for young people, ask my daughter.

She is 29 years old, and I am privileged to go to her to look over one of my stories and get feedback. Why? Because she holds an honors degree in English Literature from a private University, second only to Rice, in Texas. She knows more about the craft of writing than I will ever know.

Before you tell me what I should do, get to know me and my needs. In other words, identify your audience and address them, not everyone.

Reason #2: One size never fits all

One size fits all is a marketing gimmick that fools people into buying things that they don’t need or want. When you use tricks to sell your idea, it is proof that it has no merit of its own.

Blog post headlines that use the phrase you should may bait a few people to click on it, but they are demeaning to the reader. It implies that the reader is incompetent, and you, the writer/expert are here is to save the day. F U.

Reason #3: You don’t know what you’re talking about

In the first 60 days after I joined the Medium’s Partner Program, I spent a whole lot of time reading articles about how to be successful on Medium as a writer to the point that Medium would only show me articles about writing and Medium success. Based on your reading history, they said. Never mind that I had not read one for the previous year and a half before joining the MPP.

I learned a lot from reading all those stories, and one of the most important things I learned is to ignore particular writers because they offered nothing of value, not consistently anyway. They had no fresh ideas, just the same old stuff repackaged. They earned a few bucks/pennies from me, but because they wasted so much of my time, I will avoid reading anything that has their name on it: short-term gain, long-term loss.

Reason #4: You can’t be world-class by regurgitating

Most of the advice dispensed in the how-to and self-help articles is merely repeating the same things. There is one “author” on here who writes 5 to 7 minutes pieces to say write more.

From what I understand, in the old payment system, your articles didn’t need to be read. If people clapped for it, you got paid. The more they clapped, the more you got paid. The more people clapped for it, the more exposure those pieces received. I wasn’t around back then, but that made sense based on the system. But to dispense the same advice under the new system where people have to spend time reading your articles, just writing more won’t work unless you’re Helen Cassidy Page. She writes entertaining articles that teach life lessons and shares her experiences about her Medium journey with a wicked sense of humor. She provides value. She is world-class. She’s been writing longer than Mr. Write-More has been around.

Reason # 5: I hate shoulds

In case you haven’t learned yet, and it is apparent that you haven’t, no one likes to be told what to do. I have a favorite line that I use when people tell me that I should (do whatever). I tell them, “I don’t do shoulds.”

The fact is, I hate shoulds. To me, the word should implies that I don’t have a choice. But, I do, and I choose to ignore anyone who tells me that I should. Tell me what you know or what you’ve learned, and I’ll gladly consider it. If it makes sense to me or jives with my way of thinking, I’ll use it. I’d be foolish not to. But don’t tell me I should. See reason #1

Final thoughts

Are you here to make a quick buck, or are you building a writing career? Are you here for yourself, or are you here to serve your customer, aka your reader. There are much more lucrative ways to make a whole lot more money than to write. Maybe you should go do something else instead of wasting my time.

There, rant over. Thanks for reading.

If you liked this, you might like some of my other stories. They’re not all rants.

Rasheed Hooda is a regular contributor to #ILLUMINATION, a writers’ community on Medium, where writers support each other to grow and prosper.

He is a self-proclaimed weirdo who lives a Freedom Lifestyle and writes about related topics — Travel (a top writer), Personal Growth, Freedom, and entrepreneurship. (Join the Tribe)

“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.”