I got the inspiration for this post from Good Doctor, a series on Netflix that details the life/experience of Shaun Murphy, an autistic doctor. Shaun happens to be a gifted doctor with a photographic memory and an aptitude for solving difficult medical problems.
In this episode Shaun, for the very first time, Shaun makes a wrong prognosis. This surprises his colleagues who are used to Shaun coming up with brilliant answers. Shaun is always right, and I guess being around such a person can be quite intimidating. Imagine challenging someone who has deeper insight into things you can barely scratch the surface.
Have you ever been in a room where you are the least smart person ( or assume so)? I have a couple of times and I can tell you for free that the humble pie doesn’t taste any good. However, on few occasions, I have had unusual thoughts worth sharing but keep to myself, not to sound stupid.
For most of my life, I haven't been particularly smart--book smart. I had struggled throughout school, from primary to tertiary level, which impacted my confidence. However, I was able to find myself outside the four walls of a class where it did matter (thankfully).
I have achieved relative success as a writer (on hive), which did boost my confidence. I am currently working part-time with a startup company as a content creator, which still feels surreal to a certain extent.
I thought my success on hive was by chance, and it is nice to see my knowledge and skill appreciated/wanted outside this ecosystem.
When asked how I managed to succeed here on hive I often have a bunch of things to say.
I was consistent
I wrote decent posts…
I engaged
However, sometimes I wonder if I am wrong. Is my success a direct result of all these factors I have mentioned? Because I know people who have done the same--even better-- but none of the things amounted to much. So what’s the catch?
Many times we are so certain about actions and opinions we do not see past our biases and faux narrative. We do not pay attention to the subtle elements that impact our growth and development.
You might find two people doing the same thing at the same time but achieving different results. The disparity in outcome might be due to subtle things like differences in perspective/approach.
For instance, in this week's prompt, we will have several entries with different perspectives. However, one will stand out. This doesn’t mean other authors did not put in the same effort or more. I have graded superb entries that miss out on subtle details like creating a decent title or being creative with formatting their post.
When it comes to very subjective things there is no right but endless possibilities. To achieve a favourable outcome, we should explore as many possibilities as possible. This is why we need to constantly learn and be open-minded.
For prospective entrants into the pob wotw, I will suggest you look into parts of your posts you're yet to explore fully. I started experimenting with my formatting style some weeks ago. It is a lot of work (I hate doing) but it does create new ways to share your message.
To achieve new and better results we need to explore new things/ideas. It adds life to the process of learning and creating.