Taking advantage of being alone in the house on Saturday, I wrapped a few last presents to put under the tree while listening to an audiobook. As I looked over, I saw a chat message in one of my social media apps light up with a message. It was a coworker who was looking for a few book recommendations for his significant other.

What I liked about his plea, with a mea culpa of waiting until the last minute, was that he recognized that it was overwhelming to be in a bookstore and want to purchase a book for someone but that there’s too much. The paradox of choice. When I go into a bookstore, I know what I’m looking for. I’m usually never browsing because I spend my work days browsing professional magazines, blogs, publisher emails, etc. So I cannot relate to my coworker because even when I’m purchasing for others, I usually have titles, topics, or authors already in mind.

He was resourceful– he dialed a librarian. What expertise do you have that others would dial you up?