The Modern Village: Smart People Ask for Help
“It takes a village to _______ .”
Fill in the blank however you wish.
…to raise a child. …to produce an iPhone. …to make change happen.
We are sometimes so enamored with independence that we forget what it means. Independence does not mean that we never rely on others. It simply consists of removing the shackles to any one particular person, group, or organization.
It used to take an actual village to raise a child. Now it takes a community, often connected digitally, to produce anything of value. As Matt Ridley said, “No one on earth knows how to build a computer mouse.” There are too many specialized areas of knowledge required; one person could never master them all.
Learning to ask
I was struggling with math for the first time in my life during freshman year of high school. A straight-A math student until then, I didn’t know what to do. My dad asked, “Have you gone in for extra help?”
“Of course not,” I said. “Only bad students go for extra help.”
“No,” he countered. “Only good students ask for help.”
He nailed it. The smartest, most successful people are those who surround themselves with other talented, bright, and motivated people. A group of independent thinkers and doers form a village to achieve something bigger than any one of us.
It takes a village to write a book
If I’m being honest, I thought writing a book was going to be easy. I knew it was hard for other people, but I’ve always been a strong writer. Plus I’m super organized and motivated. No problem, right? Ha! Just over three years and dozens of people later, I’ve finally reached my goal.
I have never needed a village more than I did writing a book. If Three New People succeeds it will not be because of the two years I spent writing alone in my office, but because of the brilliant team of individuals who spent a full year bringing my scattered vision to life.
I’d like to formally recognize the key players in my book-making village. We are so proud of the final result, and hope you will consider picking up a copy.
Visit www.ThreeNewPeople.com to pre-order a personalized, signed copy with bonuses (sticker, wrist-band, PDF).
Book launch is this Sunday, Nov 4.
The Three New People village:
Melissa Kirk, developmental and copy editor, for shaping my words into a consistent and compelling voice (www.WordsToHoney.com)
Kendall Davis, proofreader (and an excellent editor as well), for catching so many mistakes and making it look like I don’t have the bad writing habits that I most definitely do (Reedsy)
Annette Wood, interior designer, for her painstaking attention to detail while creating the visual tone of the book, including beautiful and original illustrations (www.AnnetteWoodGraphics.com)
Mila Matijašević Babić, cover designer, for creating such a beautiful cover and logo for the movement, and all of the companion resources that readers will enjoy.
Heatherlyn Schoeppich, my high school English teacher, cheerleader, friend, and member of the pre-launch team for catching many of my mistakes before the book even went to proofreading.
Jonathan, Paul, and Ian, members of the pre-launch team, for providing detailed and insightful feedback on structure and clarity.
Richard, Paul, Joe, Stephanie, Stephen, Ryan, Sarah, Ben, Danny, Kat, Amanda, Dennis, Jenna, Matt, Brandon, Shaun, Lou, Jenny, Elizabeth, Heather, Joshua, Mike, Adam – the rest of the awesome pre-launch team, for your enthusiasm and feedback on marketing and promotional aspects.
Spread the word!
Do you know someone who needs to know it’s okay to ask for help on a project? Share this post with them on social media, or better yet, send them a personalized email with this link.
