I Don’t Support Him At All
Out of the blue, I received a DM from one of the most successful business owners I know. She wanted to know if I could connect her with the marketing agency we use at Northern Vessel for our photography. She loves our content and desires a similar vibe for one of her businesses. I told her I'd be honored to connect her, but we don't use an agency. It's just one young man named Noah; he's awesome, and I'd love to make an introduction.
I told this story to a few friends, and one of them responded, "I'm so glad you're supporting a small business like that. I'm sure Noah loves your support."
If you're a regular blog reader, you probably already know where this is going.
"Oh, I don't support him at all!"
"Wait, I thought you and Noah are friends....."
"We are friends, but Noah doesn't need my 'support.' He does awesome work, and that's all that matters. I’m just connecting one excellent business to another excellent business that might be able to serve the other well.”
"But people like him need support from us. It's the only way they can make it."
"That's ridiculous....and demeaning. He doesn't need people's support. He just needs to be excellent at his craft. His excellence is what makes it for him, and his excellence is the only reason I referred him to a friend. He earned that."
We can pursue support, or we can pursue excellence. Noah never asked for my support; he's too busy trying to be excellent. Noah is just a young man with a lot of talent and a crapload of passion. He's so hungry to do good work! If he wasn't excellent, my business owner friend would never have asked me for a referral, and if he wasn't excellent, I would never have given it. Noah earned that, and to assume anything else is an insult to his good work.
We all have the opportunity to be Noah today. The fruit of our actions will speak for itself. The conversations we foster, the art we create, the work we produce, and the results that materialize. Nothing good that happens to me today will be the product of someone's "support," and neither will yours. Therefore, I encourage you to abolish the word "support" and simply embrace the word "excellence."
Oh yeah, and if you're stopping by the Northern Vessel shop or our booth at the Des Moines Farmers' Market today and see a young man snapping photos, say hello! Noah would love to meet you.
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