A Lesson from the Laundromat

For many years, my life revolved around the weekly collection of quarters. The change was needed to feed laundry machines. Most of the time, a laundry room was just a few steps from my home. But at one stop, I had to wait a few weeks before a washing machine was installed in my unit. That sent me to a nearby laundromat.

The place was what you would expect. It was managed by an old guy who was always sitting in a well worn chair. Although I never saw him move from his seat, he must have been the one who updated the marker board which held the laundry tip of the day.

I'd always took a look at the tip while waiting for my clothes to dry. It's always good to learn from an expert. But after a few weeks, I made an important discovery: No matter what the laundry problem was, the solution always was, "Make a paste with Tide and water. Rub it into your clothes." If you'd seen the tip once, you'd gotten everything you ever would from it.

Some people may be experts in their field but that may not mean that their advice is worth much to you. True expertise makes you think differently about a problem and consider new solutions.