Innovation requires humility. Humility to realize you don’t know everything. We only grow by admitting we don’t know. Coach John Wooden said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
People who think they know how everything works never open themselves up to learning new information. The truth is, it’s after you know something that you should begin to grow it. You get it, then you grow it. You don’t get it, then squander it. The moment you “get it” is the moment you should increase your awareness about it. If you think you already know everything there is to know about whatever it is you think you know you will never fully know it.
The other day I was telling my oldest daughter some things she needed to know about life. It was one of those teaching moments about work ethic and giving your best to what you do. She had been slacking off on some of her responsibilities around the house, and instead of just getting upset or grounding her I thought I would have a heart to heart about excellence and initiative. As I was teaching her she kept saying, “I know, I know.” But did she really? If she truly knew then we wouldn’t be having the conversation. For some reason, we all tend to think we know everything. Whenever a boss reprimands his or her employee they tend to say, “I know, I know.” Whenever a friend gives us some advice we tend to say, “I know, I know.”
Our pride wants to believe we know all things when in reality we don’t. And it can keep us from truly knowing what we need to know in order to be better than we are.
If you want to be the best you can be and become ultra creative in your life, work, family, business, etc…you have to first tell yourself, “YOU DON’T KNOW IT ALL!” Humility is about realizing you are a working progress. You never fully know everything there is to know about whatever it is you think you know, and this is why we must never stop growing, especially if we want to make a difference in this world and be the best we can be. Vernon Howard said, “Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.” So how do you unlock creativity?
Here is the power statement of the day:
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