This morning I had a root canal. An unexpected, expensive, bitch of a thing.
Whilst I lay there, with one eye scrunched close due to the mouth open situation, and the other staring firmly down the shaft of colour created by the iridescent light overhead, I willed myself to drift off into a magical meditative state so as to escape the hideousness going on in my head. Unfortunately I didn’t reach nirvana, nor even basic relaxation to be honest, so instead I tuned in to the conversation between the dentist and his nurse.
They moaned good-humouredly about how their kids are ungrateful, demanding, treat the home as a restaurant and are fighting over who gets what Ooshie from Woolies. All the usual things; I even managed a thumbs up, offering my empathy. They spoke about how the price of SUVs is going up 25% in Australia, which had made the nurse cross because she’s in the market for one. Her husband says she should get a Subaru Outback instead (which I have), and I wanted to say what a great car it is, but y’know, metal in the mouth and all. Then of course they spoke about how great it will be when we can finally go out for dinner again in Melbourne, without the kids, but how we wouldn’t know where to go anymore! First-world, friendly banter.
All the while, doing a root canal.
They passed instruments between themselves, tapped things on the computer, switched lights on and off, and worked as a well-oiled machine. She finished his sentences and pre-empted his every need. He buzzed, and poked and measured and cleaned and probed without missing a beat in the conversation.
And it occurred to me, how so many of us do amazing things, things that take years to learn how to do – and even longer to perfect – and we do them as if we’re simply taking a sip of water… as if it’s the most obvious and easy and natural thing to do.
I know YOU know your stuff. I know YOU do it almost without thinking. And I know it feels glorious inside when you do your thing, when you encourage the shifts, and then see improvements in your people. But I also know that sometimes you wonder: “doesn’t everyone just know this though?”
Well guess what? There’s a world full of people out there who don’t know how to do the thing you do so incredibly well, which is why they need you to do it for them, OR, teach them how to do it for themselves. They also probably don’t know where or how to find you, so you MUST tell them. You must make it your mission to let the right people know who you are and what you do so easily and ask them whether you can help them. Don’t feel guilty about it, don’t feel as if you’re boasting, don’t think you sound too clever or conceited. You’re kind of obligated to share your gifts, y’know?
They need you in their lives to make the root canal seem like simply brushing their teeth.