I very rarely get “fan mail,” so when I do it really provokes me. It feels good, but it also raises up doubts: “They don’t see I’m a fraud! How can I live up to this praise?”
Here’s an excerpt from the kind note I received last week:
Art, that article you wrote for the August Growers Talk was phenomenal. It is one of those reads that you really can’t wait to share with others. One of those articles that you can’t quit thinking of. I realized on how many aspects of business, and life, it can be applied. Inside of our operations, your thoughts opened our minds, as well as creating new conversations.
The article he’s referring to was my second essay for GrowerTalks. I’ve never told anyone this…I set out to write something that would be controversial, something so “out-there” that it seemed completely indefensible: “Don’t listen to your customers.”
Yesterday, my editor sent me a note that it’s time to write another essay, for the December issue. Do I step it up? Play it safe? Push the boundaries? Mail it in? Yikes! Somebody’s watching!