15th Dec 2023
I recently read a great quote by Sophia Bush, ‘You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and work in progress, simultaneously.’
Another quote which resonates with me is, ‘The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none.’
You can only grow and make progress if you understand your weakness & acknowledge them. Admitting that you are not good at something to yourself & to the outside world is hard, but the sooner you do it, the better the chances that you will have in attaining a greater level of success.
What I have realised is that being a learner is a state of mind and I try to use every opportunity to learn something new.
I remember while preparing for my CAT( MBA entrance) in the 80s, I had a ritual of learning a minimum of 10 new words or phrases a day. The habit still continues; even today whenever I come across a new word or phrase which I don’t know, I check out its meaning and thus end up learning new things.
It has become easier now with smartphones, Google, and AI as compared to earlier when we used to write down the word & then check it out when we had access to a dictionary.
The Word power quiz in the Readers Digest was a favourite and even now, whenever I come across a Readers Digest, the first thing I do is to take the quiz and I still can manage get a reasonable score.
There’s a great power in knowing what you don’t know. When we accept our ignorance and limitations, we become wiser.
The habit of learning and of asking questions when I don’t know even at the cost of sounding stupid keeps me learning.
Don’t be afraid of asking questions and remember what Confucius says, “He who asks a question remains a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.”
If knowledge is power, knowing what you don’t know is wisdom.
Use your ignorance to your advantage, learn & stay blessed forever.