I’m no genius. Sure, I would love to be a literary titan. It would be great if I possessed greater mathematical acumen. Heck, I’d happy if I had musical prodigy…ness.
But alas, I’m a mere teacher/author — I have spurts of creativity and a fair amount of ambition, which has resulted in a few memorable and interesting projects. Just as often, though, I’ve had a great idea but lacked the ability to pull it off, or plenty of time and energy to work on something, but no good ideas to run with.
I know some people have tidal waves of inspiration and the chops to reliably turn those ideas into amazing works of art. Other people, through sheer grit, have carved out a reputation that attracts great opportunities, and year after year they seem to knock it out of the park with one project after another.
In fact, I’ve heard many interviews with highly successful people, and a common lament of theirs is “I have to say No to so many projects—people pitch more ideas than I could possibly ever work on. It’s so hard to choose!”
So here’s another open letter to the top tier talent of the world:
Can I try to turn your No in my Yes?
I’ll gladly take a look at whatever doesn’t pass through your creative filter. Gimme five minutes with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rejection pile and I could be set for life. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure; one genius’s discards could be a trove of amazing opportunities for a plebe like yours truly.
C’mon — you said yourself how hard it is to pass on those great offers. Well, why not pass them on instead? I’m just an email away…
This shameless plea has been approved by M. J. Lau.
M. J. Lau 