There is an old adage that goes, ” The man who believes he knows everything, knows nothing.”
The irony of the learning process is this- Unless we know “nothing” about something, we cannot learn. We need to be ignorant about something in the first place for there to be any learning.
Ignorance, in a strange way, is the vacuum that attracts the possibility of learning !!
The more we admit that we do not know, the more ready we are for any learning.
- I know nothing about how to do home videos. The moment I acknowledge that I do not understand, it becomes an opportunity for me to learn.
- I used to think I was very good at negotiating with clients. For as long as I thought I was good at the art of negotiating, and I knew everything about that skill, there was no scope for me to learn. The day I realized that I did not know enough, the possibility of learning emerged.
We need to have the openness to say, “I don’t know everything” or “I may be wrong.” That is when we are ready for any learning and growth.