There I was, finger hovering over the play button, about to watch a video of myself from 2018 discussing my first book, "Opportunity Switch." My stomach was in knots. You know that feeling when you hear your recorded voice? This was going to be 100 times worse.
I almost closed the browser three times before finally hitting play. After all, it was 2024 now – I was certainly smarter, more experienced, a better writer. This was going to be embarrassing, right?
What happened next shocked me.
As I watched the 90-minute interview, my jaw kept dropping lower and lower. I heard myself explaining complex leadership concepts, breaking down employee engagement strategies, and sharing management insights that I had completely forgotten. The ideas weren't just good – they were brilliant. Not because I was brilliant, but because I was capturing knowledge that was fresh and real in that moment.
This experience led me to a profound realization: We might be thinking about writing books all wrong.
The Time Capsule Effect
What if your first book isn't supposed to be:
- Your ticket to fame
- Your business card
- Your passive income stream
- Your "expert status" proof
What if, instead, it's a time capsule? A documentation of your knowledge at this moment. A preservation of your current wisdom.
The truth is, the book I wrote in 2018? I couldn't write it today. And the book I'm writing today? I couldn't have written it in 2018. Each captures a unique moment in time – a specific slice of expertise and experience that will never exist quite the same way again.
The Knowledge You're Losing Right Now
Think about your expertise from five years ago, your deep knowledge from your last job, or that hobby you used to be obsessed with. Some of that knowledge has faded. Not because it wasn't valuable, but because your brain made room for new expertise.
Knowledge isn't like wine – it doesn't get better with age. It's more like fresh fruit. It has an expiration date, and if you don't preserve it, you lose it.
The Power of Present Knowledge
Every version of you has valuable knowledge worth capturing. Your "present knowledge" has unique power because:
- It's fresh
- It's real
- It's tested
- It's lived
You haven't forgotten the hard parts, glossed over the struggles, or lost touch with the beginner's mind. That makes your current perspective incredibly valuable.
Permission to Start Where You Are
Recently, I spoke with a writer who had 15 years of tech experience. She wanted to write about helping women navigate male-dominated workplaces but felt she should wait until she became a CEO. When I asked her what advice she wished she'd had 10 years ago, she talked for 45 minutes straight.
By the end, she was crying – not from sadness, but because she finally realized her current knowledge, exactly as it is, could change someone's life.
You don't need to:
- Wait for a bigger title
- Have it all figured out
- Know everything
- Be perfect
You just need to document what you know right now.
Start Before You're Ready
Every day you wait to document your knowledge:
- Details get fuzzy
- Insights fade
- Lessons blur
- Stories lose their power
The time to start is now. Not because you have to. Not because you should. But because future you will thank you, and someone out there needs what only present you can share.
Your knowledge, exactly as it is right now, has value. Not because it's perfect. Not because it's complete. Not because it's better than everyone else's. But because it's yours. Because it's real. Because it's lived.
Open a blank document. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Write down ONE thing you know now that you wish you'd known earlier. Don't worry about structure, style, grammar, publishing, marketing, or monetization.
Just start.
Because somewhere out there, someone needs exactly what you know right now.
The Video That Changed Everything... Again
You know that video I mentioned at the start? I watched it again while writing this article. But this time, instead of feeling shocked by the knowledge I'd lost, I felt grateful. Grateful that my younger self had the courage to document those insights, even when he didn't feel "expert enough."
Because here's what I know now: Every version of you – past, present, and future – has unique wisdom worth preserving. The knowledge you have right now, in this moment, is valuable precisely because it's yours, because it's fresh, because it's real.
Think about what you know today. The insights that feel obvious to you. The lessons that seem simple. The wisdom you take for granted. Now imagine someone five years ago desperately needing exactly that knowledge.
That's why you can't wait.
That's why you shouldn't wait.
That's why you mustn't wait.
Because somewhere out there, someone needs what only you know right now. And five years from now, you might be watching your own video, grateful that you had the courage to preserve your present wisdom.
Don't let your knowledge fade like old photographs. Open that blank document. Set that timer. Start writing.
Your future self will thank you.
And more importantly, so will someone else.
The time is now. Not because you're ready, but because your knowledge is ready to be shared.
Just start.
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