Can you spot them? When you get together with friends are you aware of who it is?
Professionals know better.
It really is a worthy endeavor to find out who this person is. What’s more important than this pursuit though, is actually making sure it’s you. There are many books written about happiness and success and what it takes to get there but I find that this concept is often overlooked or understated completely. If we look at a quote from Epictetus that says – “It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows” the fascination lies not in the truth and simplicity of these words but at the mere observation that the majority of society lives in direct contradiction to this thought. If we pull this apart further one could assume we find quite the opposite in today’s world. First, most people in today’s world are not actively seeking more education and do not really possess a burning desire to learn. Secondly, what is often found to be a more accurate representation of today’s world is the innate human nature to act as if they know everything there is to know about everything. Whether this stems from a fear or insecurity of looking dumb remains a mystery but most people would rather nod yes in agreement with the general statements made in group setting than set themselves apart from the pack by asking a question or better yet admitting they don’t really know what’s going on. It could be that maturity brings with it a higher perspective that allows oneself to realize the incredibly vast amount of information and technical knowledge in the world and admission that it would be humanly impossible for one to know everything BUT the only way to advance towards more is to accept and admit defeat and listen.
What’s also dumbfounding is the amount of individuals who, while in a conversation you can clearly see do not understand a word that you’re talking about but nod, agree and say ok. It’s almost as if they want to conversation to be over faster than you do because they don’t have a clue what’s going on. This is the true mark of an amateur.
Professionals do not care if they look stupid.
It’s an entirely different mindset for the professional who takes on the approach that reflects more of a worldview that an inquisitive 3 year old would take, than an esteemed and accomplished middle age man or woman. A professional asks the right questions and knows the difference between a dumb question and everything else. Yes – there are such a thing as dumb questions despite what your 2nd grade teacher taught you. Dumb questions are usually a direct reflection of one thing – that you weren’t listening to the person who was sharing the information. This is completely different from one who asks thought provoking, challenging or clarifying questions. A professional knows they could be wrong but asks the question anyway in any attempt towards a new discovery.
A professional seeks out the position of dumbest person in the room and knows when he or she is not yet does their best to lower their habitual thoughts in an attempt learn something from those less “enlightened” in the room.
One who can catch themselves in the middle of thought and reverse course has learned the power that openness has to their development and can continue to learn indefinitely. On the other hand the one who always thinks they know everything grows older and stupider because they’ve shut the door on all possible discoveries that others can bring. It is imperative that one seeks out the position of being the dumbest person in the room and changes course when they realize they are not anymore. The alternative is a life of certainty and stagnation which can creep up on us and show its cards after it’s too late.