Most people think credibility comes from confidence, but really it comes from curiosity. Let's get into this. To put a little clear, most people think that they need to be seen as an expert when they're creating content to make valuable content. But really, the most original work comes from being open in the process of where you're at. The expert trap is so tempting. I get it. Especially if the thing that you're talking about, you've been doing it for a long time. You know what you're talking about. I believe you know what you're talking about. You don't have to prove what you're talking about, especially if you're building a personal brand. I've felt that internal pressure myself. When I first started talking about podcasting, I have had so much experience with podcasting that when I created my own personal brand, which I mainly talked about podcasting, I almost just felt like I'm like, I just got so much to say. It just came from so much authority, but I was doing myself such a disservice. And I can use a more recent example of that. So I've spoken a little bit lately about how I've been getting into hiking more. Now I am the opposite of the spectrum here hiking right now. I know very little. I've learned a bit and some of it is like common sense and whatnot, but there's a lot I don't know. I am so far from being an expert in it. And getting into this new hobby is really highlighted to me, like, if I was to create content around this topic, which I know somewhat very little about, how would I approach it? And it's highlighted areas in things that I do know a lot about, which is we miss so much stuff when we only share from a place of authority. People don't want to just connect with expertise. They connect with perspective. And the most powerful perspectives come from people who are in motion, who are doing the things that we wanna be doing. People who are noticing, not just knowing. Curiosity is often more valuable than mastery. That's why we see the people that are before us, maybe on the experience scale, have a lot of success doing something that maybe we could do so much better, so much more efficient, so much faster, whatever. You see the 16 year old who plays video games and makes millions of dollars a year. It's not because he knows exactly what he's doing. He's just developed a certain skill in chasing his curiosity. He's not trying to look smart. It, in fact, might even be trying to look dumb because he knows that might increase the number of people that pay attention. Now, that's a separate topic. You don't need to dumb down what you're saying here. That's not what I'm saying at all. But I'm just saying the difference between being perceived as an expert and claiming expert status are two totally separate things. Using my hiking example here, if I create a page on Instagram about hiking, I don't have to share anything that leads anyone to believe I'm an authority on the subject of hiking. Because I could just simply be talking about hiking. I could talk about hiking from a hundred years ago using the Library of Congress, like their national archives, could share one of those photos with a little caption that says, you know, this is one of the first people to take a picture of Yosemite or something like that. Over time, there creates a halo effect that people will associate hiking with me, and they'll go, wow. Dylan's an expert hiker. Now this is all theoretical. I'm not really planning on this, but they would look at me and go, oh, wow. Dylan's an expert hiker. And here I am. I have told you I'm not claiming to be expert status whatsoever. In fact, I'm claiming beginner or amateur status. Doesn't negate the fact that I'll still be perceived by some as an expert. Now some people know this and they use it for bad, and they take advantage of people. And some people will lean so hard into trying to be perceived as an expert that they just rub people the wrong way. And they wonder why no one's sticking around is because they're trying so hard to be an expert. And these people usually start to resent their audience because they don't feel like their audience is respecting the fact that they are an expert and that they should be honored to be able to consume the content that this expert is putting out for them. So challenge for you, the next time you hesitate to share something, just ask yourself, am I trying to be helpful or am I just trying to look smart? Because your audience doesn't need you to have all the answers. They need to see how you get the answers. That's where the trust is built, and that's where your best ideas will live. That's where you innovate. That's where you grow and your audience grows. And the best part is you don't have to wait any longer to show up as the scientist, not the professor, and just explore and help. You know what's crazy about being a creator? Everyone sees the final product, the polished videos, the engaging podcast, the perfect post. What they don't see is that 90% of us have hit a wall at some point. Feeling burnout, overwhelmed, overstimulated, a combination of all the above, maybe even thinking about throwing in the towel. And I get it. I've been there. There could be a lot of pressure to keep up with algorithm changes, always needing fresh content ideas. It's a lot of work going into being a content creator. It can feel pretty lonely sometimes. That's exactly why I made The Creator Club. And look, this isn't some exclusive expensive mastermind group. It's just a free Discord community where creators like you and I can connect, we can share wins, we can get feedback, and just be real with other real people who get it. Whether you're just starting out or you've been in the game for a few years now, you're welcome to join us. If you need feedback on your latest podcast episode, post it. If you're working on a new thumbnail design, share it. You wanna celebrate a win? We wanna hear about it. And the best part, it doesn't matter where you are in the world because it's available twenty four seven. Joining is as simple as heading over to thecreatorclub.com. There's no complicated sign up process, no membership fees, literally just real creators supporting real creators. Thanks again for joining me today. Until next time, keep creating.