NOT Being the Smartest Person in the Room

Have you noticed there is always more we can learn?

We go to a lecture, watch a video, listen to a podcast, consult with a friend or colleague - and we can always take something away that teaches us something, one way or another.

Isn't it grand?

You listen to speakers who recommend a book that helped them see a problem differently, or they share something that helped them cope with a crisis you recognize. You get the drift.

It isn't that we need to hunt for an educational angle in everyday life. We just need to know it's there and that we can learn from it (or not).

Being open to not knowing it all is extremely freeing. You don't need to fear NOT being the smartest person in the room - because you aren't. You may know more about this or that, and someone else knows more or has more experience in that or this.

There is nothing wrong with that. It's actually the opposite of a problem.

We can soak up more info, more feedback, more knowledge - which helps us adapt, adjust, and look at things in a different light that simply helps us grow and improve.

And at the end of the process, that improvement helps bring more value to others with better reasoning, data, experience, and knowledge to explain it forward.

Don't fear not having all the answers. Be excited about your ability to find them - on your own or from others. Keep asking questions, keep digging, and bring a beginner's mind to feed your curiosity.

The learning never stops. So always be learning.