Once, many years ago, someone I dated for a (thankfully) short period of time flung this line at me.
We had been about to embark on a week long sailing adventure with two other couples from his circle of friends and discussion had turned to sailing the boat. One of the males stated that all three men would go to the mandatory briefing run by the boat hire company while the three females did the grocery shop for the trip.
I piped up and said I'd love to go to the briefing. I knew I wouldn't get too many opportunities to learn the ins and outs of sailing and navigating and I was genuinely curious about the process. I was pretty sure I wasn’t essential to the shopping team, so it didn’t seem a big deal to me.
Either I'd touched a sexist alpha male nerve, or I was genuinely an annoying person back then because it triggered a furious response from him that included the line about me wanting to know everything. A short argument flared between us followed by a stony silence.
In the end, I caved and meekly went along on the shopping trip; I was young enough to care what his friends thought and, knowing we were to be ensconced on a boat for a whole week in each other’s company, I wanted to keep the peace. It was a crappy start to an even crappier holiday.
I’ve learned a lot since then, and these days I wouldn't even look twice at someone with those values and attitudes.
The funny thing is, I’ve had time to reflect on what he said and I have to say he was right; I do have to know everything. But, rather than it being a source of shame or a flaw, I’m quite proud of this fact. It’s one of my strengths. Having an insatiable curiosity and a genuine desire for knowledge is what makes me a good copywriter. That and a love of words, of course.
I write for all sorts of individuals and businesses across a range of voices, topics, genres, publications and industries. I love that every client brings something new for me to learn. I love that I am curious and I love that my curiosity has made it easy for me to learn new things. I love that I ‘always have to know everything’.
So, next time someone takes it upon themselves to tell you your flaws and failings, take a bit of time to mull over their words; in another light and another person’s eyes, these same faults might just be skills and talents.