by Kory Wells, WorkCompEdge Blog Editor
We all have various areas of expertise that are – or that we think should be – worth something to others.
As many of you know, Specific Software and SIGMA are located in the greater Nashville area, so it was inevitable: the inspiration for today’s WorkCompEdge blog comes straight from a country song. A few years ago, singer Alan Jackson had a hit called “The Talkin’ Song Repair Blues.” (Alan doesn’t want it embedded on other sites, but you can watch the music video here on YouTube). In the song, a well-known songwriter has to take his car to a mechanic, who rattles off a long list of everything that’s wrong. It seems the list – and the cost – won’t end. Then the mechanic, realizing he’s talking to a famous songster, says “Hey, let me play you a song.” The songwriter turns the tables, telling the mechanic all that’s wrong with the song… “a broken hook,” “you’ve been using a cut-rate thesaurus,” and much more. The chorus cleverly applies whether the mechanic or the songwriter is speaking:
“Don’t be downhearted, I can fix it for you, sonny;
It won’t take too long, it’ll just take money.”
This punch line, of course, underscores the fact that we all have various areas of expertise that are – or that we think should be – worth something to others.
Let’s shift from the songwriter and mechanic back to our own Tony King, the actuarial analyst with the marathon goals we’ve been talking about in our series about the power of intentionality. You may remember that Tony decided to increase his expertise on the subject of running by buying and reading a book on the subject. While that sounds like a simple enough thing to do, it implies some deeper things about Tony’s commitment to his goal:
“Don’t be downhearted, I can fix it for you, sonny;
It won’t take too long, it’ll just take money.”
This punch line, of course, underscores the fact that we all have various areas of expertise that are – or that we think should be – worth something to others.
Let’s shift from the songwriter and mechanic back to our own Tony King, the actuarial analyst with the marathon goals we’ve been talking about in our series about the power of intentionality. You may remember that Tony decided to increase his expertise on the subject of running by buying and reading a book on the subject. While that sounds like a simple enough thing to do, it implies some deeper things about Tony’s commitment to his goal:
- First, Tony was willing to spend some money on a knowledge resource that he believed would benefit him.
- Second, Tony was willing to spend the time to make the most of that resource.
Knowledge is worth an investment of money
Tony can certainly develop his running knowledge from many free resources on the Internet. I’m sure he also asks other runners for their experience and advice. But when he got serious about his goal, he did some research and decided to mostly focus on a single resource to guide him. And he didn’t just borrow this resource from the library – he made the decision to own it. Owning the book signaled his intention to engage with it for longer than the two weeks the library would let him have it. Owning the book also demonstrated his belief that knowledge, and not just new running shoes, could help him reach his goal.
In a similar way, you can find all sorts of good information on workers comp on the Internet in the form of blogs, articles posted by various organizations, lawyers, risk management professionals, and more. We encourage you to make use of all that free information. But when you’re ready to get serious about implementing your work comp vision, we think you need to think about paying for a few resources that will help you as much as possible to reach your goals in an optimal amount of time.Well, of course, you’re probably saying. We’re developers of a subscription site, so we think you need to pay for some resources, right? Shameless self-promotion aside, WorkCompEdge – and other resources – cost money because someone spends a lot of time and energy developing their knowledge and conveying it to you in a (hopefully) organized way and with a big-picture view. We’re the first to admit that the scope of work comp is so broad that you may need a few resources to address all of your goals. The point is, “you get what you pay for” is not just a cliché; it’s wisdom. Use of a few good resources will bring you expertise that’s focused and yet comprehensive.
Learning – even from the right experts – takes some time
As high school teachers have admonished legions of students over the years, it’s not enough to have the book: you’ve got to read it. “You’re not going to get it by osmosis,” I can hear my high school physics teacher saying. Tony could’ve bought that book with the best of intentions, then parked it on the coffee table in the den while he spent his evenings dozing on the couch in front of ESPN. Or helping with his kids’ homework and chauffering them to games. Or cooking dinner. Or mowing the lawn. You get the idea: like all of us, Tony undoubtedly could’ve had a hundred excuses for not getting to that book. But he prioritized making use of his resource. You have to do the same when it comes to utilizing WorkCompEdge or other resources to increase your understanding of workers compensation. It will be worth it!
Tony can certainly develop his running knowledge from many free resources on the Internet. I’m sure he also asks other runners for their experience and advice. But when he got serious about his goal, he did some research and decided to mostly focus on a single resource to guide him. And he didn’t just borrow this resource from the library – he made the decision to own it. Owning the book signaled his intention to engage with it for longer than the two weeks the library would let him have it. Owning the book also demonstrated his belief that knowledge, and not just new running shoes, could help him reach his goal.
In a similar way, you can find all sorts of good information on workers comp on the Internet in the form of blogs, articles posted by various organizations, lawyers, risk management professionals, and more. We encourage you to make use of all that free information. But when you’re ready to get serious about implementing your work comp vision, we think you need to think about paying for a few resources that will help you as much as possible to reach your goals in an optimal amount of time.Well, of course, you’re probably saying. We’re developers of a subscription site, so we think you need to pay for some resources, right? Shameless self-promotion aside, WorkCompEdge – and other resources – cost money because someone spends a lot of time and energy developing their knowledge and conveying it to you in a (hopefully) organized way and with a big-picture view. We’re the first to admit that the scope of work comp is so broad that you may need a few resources to address all of your goals. The point is, “you get what you pay for” is not just a cliché; it’s wisdom. Use of a few good resources will bring you expertise that’s focused and yet comprehensive.
Learning – even from the right experts – takes some time
As high school teachers have admonished legions of students over the years, it’s not enough to have the book: you’ve got to read it. “You’re not going to get it by osmosis,” I can hear my high school physics teacher saying. Tony could’ve bought that book with the best of intentions, then parked it on the coffee table in the den while he spent his evenings dozing on the couch in front of ESPN. Or helping with his kids’ homework and chauffering them to games. Or cooking dinner. Or mowing the lawn. You get the idea: like all of us, Tony undoubtedly could’ve had a hundred excuses for not getting to that book. But he prioritized making use of his resource. You have to do the same when it comes to utilizing WorkCompEdge or other resources to increase your understanding of workers compensation. It will be worth it!
Filed under: General
