Have you ever noticed that some really intelligent, typically academic people have absolutely zero common sense?
Or – on the other hand – people that might confess they ‘struggled in school’ went on to become some of the most savvy, practical problem solvers you know?
Well, my oldest sister fits in the first category.
She graduated from a great university and she’s a fantastic vet who specialises in orthopaedic surgery and was recently invited to became a partner at her current practice.
You couldn’t wish for anyone better to look after your pet, with absolute confidence that they were getting the best possible treatment.
She’s well travelled, well read, and well qualified in a host of ways.
… But she also thought Dick van Dyke was British.
As a teenager who finally got contact lenses, she initially thought she’d be able to see ‘twice as far’ if she put her glasses on over the top.
When the staff at her son’s nursery explained that they were worried about treasured toys getting lost or going home with the wrong children, they requested that all toys have the relevant names sewn on. So she dutifully sent my nephew back the following day with “horsey” embroidered on his toy horse.
On one occasion, she was ready to stomp round to a neighbour’s house to demand that they reverse their car, which had been parked ‘so close’ behind hers that there was ‘absolutely no possible way to let the dogs out of the boot’. Until we pointed out that there was nothing in front and she could, in fact, simply draw her car forward a couple of feet.
The list goes on. And on.
However, the point I’m trying to make – is that you can be a bit daft and still be phenomenally good at your job.
Which is very lucky, because my sister and I are cut from very similar cloth.
– I once spent five minutes trying to scrub a red stain off the draining board, which turned out to be the reflection of a geranium I had recently planted.
– In one of my first teenage waitressing jobs, I worked alongside a lovely young lad for several weeks before finding out that ‘he’ was – in fact – twins, and I had been working with both of them.
– Even more recently, when I went self employed, I had to void my first application for professional indemnity insurance and start again after receiving a call from the insurer:
“Hello Mrs Wells, your application hasn’t gone through because we couldn’t seem to categorise your business. Do you offer both copywriting services and legal advice?”
“No. What gave you that idea?”
“Well, you have clicked ‘yes’ to the question – ‘does your business carry out legal work?’
“…Ohhh.”
I thought it meant as opposed to illegal work.
AGAIN my point is that you can be pretty daft, and still be incredibly well equipped for the task at hand.
I have a combined degree in English Language and Literature, and over a decade’s marketing experience including several years managing the PR department of my previous agency.
I’ve worked both B2B and B2C, with particular experience in writing editorials for consumer press.
I may not be great at remembering faces, and I wouldn’t put me in charge of insuring your business, but I’ve had some great feedback about my copywriting skills. (Honest!)
You don’t need to take my word for it though.
Check out the testimonials page and give me a shout if you think I could help with your next project.
