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  • The reality is I'm an idiot.

  • Like, and I'm not being flip about it.

  • Like, I don't understand very complicated things.

  • And so I ask a lot of questions so that the person who's telling me something complicated, who's talking in terms as if I understand them.

  • Finance or neuroscience, I don't know what you're talking about and I ask enough questions just so that I understand it.

  • So "Is what you're saying this?" "No, that's not what I'm saying."

  • Well, what are you...

  • So I, well, most, I mean, I'll give you a perfect example.

  • So a long time ago, I had a client, they were a public company and they brought me on to do some work for them.

  • But they invited me to sit in on a meeting from the consultant that they had hired.

  • And so all the C-level executives and me and this consultant was giving a presentation about something about marketing.

  • This is when I had my little marketing company.

  • And every all the C-level executives sitting there nodding and taking notes on the, on the, you know, on the PowerPoint that they had printed up in front of them and I had it as with as well and I didn't understand a freaking word of it.

  • Right?

  • I was like, looking around like I'm, and so I raised my hand and say, "I'm really, really sorry."

  • "I know I'm the only person in this room without an MBA."

  • "But this doesn't make sense like you say, A plus B equals C, but based on your logic, A plus B equals D, can you just say it again, please."

  • "I'm really, I'm really sorry to slow the meeting down, everybody."

  • You know, and you could see the consultant getting frustrated with me and would try and explain it again.

  • I said, "I'm so sorry."

  • And one by one, all the C-level executives said, "Yeah, I don't understand it either."

  • Now, if the idiot hadn't spoken up and said "I don't understand," they all would have nodded their heads for fear of looking stupid because they don't understand.

  • And it would have, they would have paid a lot of money for a document they didn't understand and they would never have used it and would have sat on a shelf.

  • And it's because I'm okay being the idiot like that's why I'm not being flip.

  • I'm okay.

  • Everybody in the room going, oh, because I have to ask questions until I understand it.

  • But the reality is once I can get to the point where I understand it, I can get it so simple that I understand it and I can say it in simple terms, that means other people understand it too.

  • So there's a lot of value being the idiot.

The reality is I'm an idiot.

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