Don’t Be “Born Yesterday”

People surprise me. Constantly.

You’ll see why in a moment.

Have you ever heard the phrase “born yesterday?” As in when you say something like, “She won’t fall for his lies, she wasn’t born yesterday.”

When we say that a person was “born yesterday,” what we really mean is that they don’t understand a given situation, so they are naive and easily fooled. Much like a one-day-old baby, they just don’t have the knowledge or experience to handle themselves.

As a Thought Leader, you can’t be “born yesterday.” It’s simply antithetical to the position. 

And yet, I see so many people who would be Thought Leaders, and maybe someday could be Thought Leaders, but they’re ignorant of the history of their subject and market.

Let me give you an example: I can’t tell you how many marketing agency owners I’ve met who didn’t really have much of an idea of the history of advertising and marketing. 

They don’t know the likes of Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy, or Eugene Schwartz or the fact that they stand on these people’s shoulders every day.

Another example: People who advise their customers on how to lose weight who haven’t read the autobiography of Jean Nidetch, who founded Weight Watchers in 1963. 

That’s the longest-running, most successful weight loss organization ever, but a lot of people in that business can’t be bothered to learn about it.

So yes, I am constantly surprised at how so many would-be Thought Leaders operate as if they were born yesterday, with no knowledge of the context or history they’re operating in.

My advice for you today is don’t be that person. This afternoon, I’m releasing the March issue of Authority Gold, the monthly journal of The Educated Authority and the premiere newsletter for up and coming Thought Leaders. In this issue, you can learn the steps you can take to learn history the right way — which is not the way you learned in school.

If you want a complementary subscription, go to EducatedAuthority.com/newsletter and register before I send out this month’s issue. 

I normally never send out back issues of Authority Gold, but if you’re seeing or hearing this after today’s date – March 31, 2023 – you can reply to any of my free daily emails I offer at You Can Be A Thought Leader and I’ll send you the March 2023 issue of Authority Gold so you can get up to speed.