Monday, January 10, 2011

You can’t tell me NOTHING!


I asked a question today via Facebook and Twitter:
WHAT DO A SMART MAN AND AN OLD DOG HAVE IN COMMON?
I got varying responses to this question. I won't go into what people said, but I will go ahead and tell you the answer:
YOU CAN'T TEACH EITHER ONE OF THEM
NOTHING NEW! (BAD ENGLISH BUT GREAT PHILOSOPHY..LOL)
(Note: please insert "woman" wherever you see "man". This is an Equal Opportunity Lesson (smile))
Let's examine this for a second. A SMART man is a person that knows everything and thinks that all that he knows is all that there is TO know; he spends so much time DEFENDING all that he knows that he doesn't shut his mouth long enough or check his ego long enough to discover that he has so much more to learn. Have you ever had a discussion with a KNOW IT ALL? Isn't it frustrating??? They've been around the world twice, shook everyone's hand and have the T-shirt to prove it. When you try to tell them anything, not only do they already know what you are talking about but they know that subject WAY BETTER than you. You stand there in amazement because EVERY SUBJECT you bring up, they have so much knowledge on it, it just "astounds" you (yes I am being sarcastic). If you did it, they did it better; if you went to a 5 Star Hotel, they stayed in the penthouse. If you went on vacation, they went too, but only they went First Class and were V.I.P. everything. Yeah….THOSE PEOPLE!
Now equate this to knowledge. You are trying to have a conversation about something and no matter what you say, no matter what you do, no matter what you bring up….they know it all!!! How is this possible? Here's the bomb shell….wait for it……..
IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!!
No one knows EVERYTHING, no matter how much they pretend to. We all have room to grow and learn. It is a WISE man that knows that he can learn from anyone and EVERYTHING around him. I am a college professor; I teach all of the Business curricula and advise students on career choice and job searches. I love what I do, and I have been told that I am very good at what I do. While I appreciate what people have to say about me, let me make one thing perfectly clear….I AM NOT PERFECT. I am always in a posture for learning. I learn from people around me that I know clearly are smarter and more knowledgeable than me; furthermore, I learn from the students that I advise and teach; they have knowledge about things that I don't have a clue about, but I am willing to listen and willing to learn. Let me share a story. I was displaced from a job back in 2009 and I had the privilege of working with a Career Planning Service. When I went to see my counselor, she asked me to bring her my resume' so that she could peruse it and make improvements; she pulled out a red ink pen and basically bled all over my resume' with red ink. She looked at me and said "I hope I didn't hurt your feelings". I looked at her and said "Look, this ain't about my feelings. I need a job. Your job is to help me get a job. My feelings aren't that fragile. You know what you are doing so do what you must, I can take it." She responded by saying "A lot of people take offense when I tell them the things that are wrong". I said "Well with all due respect, why the hell do they come to see you then?" She laughed and said "You know what…I don't know". Why would someone seek the help of a professional and turn around and tell the professional all that they are doing wrong or they perceive as wrong? One word….INSECURITY.
INSECURITY is a powerful force. When people feel insecure, there only mission is to make themselves feel safe and secure again. I grew up with low self-esteem and believe me, all I wanted to do was be secure and I was willing to achieve that at any cost. SMART people don't want to be questioned or have their knowledge challenged because they don't want the holes in their armor to be exposed. What the SMART man doesn't realize is if he took the time to examine the weaknesses in his armor, he would know how to FORTIFY his armor and make it better. The problem is he doesn't think he has any weaknesses. We all know that's just not true. PRIDE COMETH BEFORE THE FALL.
So….are you a SMART man or a WISE man? Can you be taught? Do you want to learn or are you comfortable being just the way you are and not being questioned? Take time to examine yourself and your ideology and ask yourself the question…."Am I so stuck in my own fantasy that I refuse to see reality?" If that is you, then BE WISE ENOUGH TO STOP BEING SMART.
PS. If you are a PARENT, this applies to you too. When is the last time you LISTENED to your children when they tell you what's wrong, instead of comparing how small their problems are in comparison to your big problems??? This is fodder for a future blog, but the question bore asking in this posting. Just something to think about…….hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
I will talk to you next time. Tomorrow, stop talking and listen to someone and let them tell you SOMETHING. J


Sharpen your Edge and your life will NEVER be Dull!


I am
The Sharp One

1 comment:

  1. There you go stepping on my toes again. I like this post. It's a not so subtle reminder to close one's mouth and open one's mind. Keep it coming!

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