This morning I shared Brian Tracy’s pic he posted on his FaceBook wall and it got me thinking…”how is it that as children (maybe it’s only me) we felt ‘differently’ when it came to us being the ‘dumbest’ in the room?”
Hear me out.
From my perspective, I understand Brian’s message that looking for people SMARTER than you is not necessarily about intelligence…I’m hoping you can see that too because if you don’t, and shut down by taking the message literally, you may be wasting the opportunity to constantly learn and grow.
So When Should We Begin To Ask For Help?
Why is it that as children, we don’t really look to those ‘smarter’ than us to help us unless we need to cram for an algebra test?
I believe this mentality limits many people up to and into their adulthood because in speaking to many, many entrepreneurs, I have found that most are reluctant to ASK for help because it may imply they’re “not smart enough” and can’t figure things out on their own.
In some extreme cases, people have told me if they ask for help they “feel like a failure.”
I don’t know what your thoughts are, but my opinion and response to that is “That’s insane!!” And I’m not telling you anything I didn’t tell them either!
As an entrepreneur, my feeling is if I can get things done in a faster, easier, less stressful way that takes me closer to my goals and lets me live in peace rather than chaos…SIGN ME UP.
Why would I want to learn by trial & error when I could just FOLLOW someone else who’s already done it?
When I finally finished my grueling 4 years of high school (and didn’t graduate BTW) the very first thing I did was buy as many books as I could about MARKETING because I didn’t know anything about it., but I DID understand is was the KEY component to making my new business a success.
So I studied day in, day out and the funny thing was, at the time, my now brother-in-law was in university getting a marketing ‘degree’ While he was stuck there learning application, theory and so on, I was out making money with a company already – what I learned in months he still had no idea even AFTER his degree ‘said so’. (and BTW, when he finished school, he went to work in the accounting department at a company). I’m not saying anything negative about him, it’s really about going after what you want using the right tools, knowledge and leverage components that will help you the most and I’m a HUGE believer that success leaves all kinds of clues so why not follow them?
The School Of Hard Knocks Lesson I Learned…
…was that to do what I wanted to do, there was someone else had already done it. I learned how to look for the RIGHT people and model what they were doing so it could help me get to where I want to go FASTER and EASIER avoiding as many of THEIR mistakes as possible.
It saved me time, money and aggravation with the added bonus I was doing what I WANTED – not stuck wondering how!
So wherever you are in your life; in a job waiting to get a promotion or wanting to quit that job to start YOUR own business… WHATEVER it is…look for people ‘smarter’ than you – they can help you…if you ask.
It’s NOT About Intelligence
Don’t take ‘smart’ too literally here either – it’s not about intelligence – its about their experience, knowledge, mindset and way of life. I STILL can’t do my times tables in my head and I’m a “professional real estate investor” … do you think that bothers me? Not at all – if one of my JVs can do calculus in their head and I have to pull out calculator to figure out what 10% of 100 is (I’m kidding, but you get my drift) then great, at least they KNOW I’m making SURE my calculations are right :).
So I’ll leave you with the thought of looking for people; a group of people is even better, that are smarter than you; people that you can learn and grow from – it will be worth every moment you spend with them … and the more vulnerable you are, the MORE you learn!
I love it! What drew me to this at first was that hysterical picture of the sign, but I'm glad I stopped to read teh entire thing. It's so true. When did we not only become scared to ask for help, ask a question, but also become so cynical to those that do? Not all of us know everything, and there's nothing wrong with wanting clarification so we can better our understanding. As for those that get offended by the dumby and smarty references, they're most likely those slaving it away in marketing class. Thanks for the post, and for encouraging people to ask questions – not belittling them for it.
Thank you Bryan for your great response! I'm glad to you see it from that perspective and it tells me that you are on your way to becoming a better, more productive, successful entrepreneur! Continue to stop by!