Who cares?
Late last month, I sat across a table from a billionaire.
We weren’t talking shops, although business had everything to do with how we ended up in a quiet, upscale diner nestled in the heart of Vancouver.
He had spent his 20s and 30s buying and selling businesses and properties. Although he was still doing the same now in his 80s, he felt the urge to recount his relatively humble beginnings to a ghostwriter and, someday, share those stories with the world.
An hour and a half into our conversation, he called for a refill of his cup of dark coffee. It was the kind of dark that didn’t reflect any light, and bitter— the kind of bitterness that makes you think, because he did.
He took a sip and gestured to the voice recorder between us, “Will anyone really care about this stuff?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, fully aware of what he meant.
“Why would anyone want to read about my life?” He kept pointing at the voice recorder as if to emphasize his point. “With everything going on in the world, who would care about an old man who’s a jack of all trades, master of none? Point blank, who would care about my story?”
I understood his concern. To be fair, I often felt the same way whenever I attempted to share a piece of my private life with you—readers of this newsletter.
Of course, a newsletter about some writer’s life is nothing compared to a book about a revered, well-known, wealthy man’s reckless path to success.
But many people, including you, often question the relevance and interest in their own stories and experiences. And more often than not, we choose to hold back from sharing because we don’t think anyone would care, or worse, we think we would be ridiculed.
We might even have a mental picture of a specific person’s reaction to the stories. It’s usually someone we know personally. That picture, alone, is enough to make us retract into our shells. You know the feeling. I know it, too.
To answer my coffee date’s question, I replied, “Who cares?”
“The truth is,” I continued, “there will always be people who won't care about you or your story. Most people won’t. But there will also be people who do care. People who find inspiration, connection, and encouragement in the stories we share. People who will be moved by your vulnerability and authenticity. These are the ones I write stories for, the ones who make it worth it.” — or something like that.
As I spoke, he slowly moved his hands away from the voice recorder. He was convinced. I was, too.
I had been speaking to him, but really, I was speaking to myself. And maybe, to you.
I believe it’s time for us to forget about those who don't care.
Focus on the ones who do. Keep sharing our stories, experiences, and perspectives. We never know whose life we might touch, whose heart we might heal, and whose mind we might enlighten.
We may not all be masters of something, although I’m quite sure we are in some ways. But we shouldn’t have to wait till we are 80 years old to tell our stories. We shouldn’t have to wait until people care before we can think of ways to inspire others.
We can start now.
And now…
an unsolicited recap of a book, TV show/movie, podcast episode, and song I’ve enjoyed recently.
Book: Alex Hormozi’s 100M Offers — Halfway through the book, I tried Hormozi’s recommended approach to making offers while negotiating with a prospective client. Result? Excellent approach, wrong prospect.
TV Show: HBO’s Billions — I know I’m late, but I finally finished watching the last season of this Maggie Siff-led show. All I can say is I’m yet to find a worse series finale than Game of Thrones.
Podcast Episode: Erwin McManus’ Mindshift podcast ft. Girls Gone Bible — These two podcasting duos are an unlikely pairing that somehow made sense for 90 minutes.
Song: Kendrick Lamar’s The Art of Peer Pressure — Has Kendrick Lamar been around long enough to classify this song as Old-School Kendrick? Anyway, it kept me going during my run this morning.