An old English proverb says – Listen to advice and
accepts instructions, and in the end you will be wise.
The weakest part of each person is where he or she thinks
himself or herself the wisest. In the words of great basketball coach John
Wooden. “It is what we learn after we think we know it all that really counts.”
Those who are teachable and continually seek to improve and grow rarely
contract the disease of pride.
Great American leader, inventor, writer Benjamin Franklin
taught – “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”
Education and transportation are tolls that get us to our
destination. We need transportation as long as we live, so do we need
education. As modes of transportation has evolved and changed over the years,
so have the tools for education. Internet is the facilitator for transport of
knowledge. The moment you think you know a lot about a particular subject or
topic, just google the topic, subject or term and you will find millions of
pages of information on the subject.
A teachable person would always be ready to learn new
things, would not be obstinate but correct or modify his opinion, if he is
presented with convincing fact or knowledge.
Being teachable is more of an attitude; a teachable
person would not carry the baggage of absurd pride, a teachable person will always
be willing to learn even from people younger to him, a teachable person would
be a team player, a teachable person would always be ready to go back to his
books and most teachable persons would have a habit of reading books. An
average CEO reads about 4-5 books a month, i.e. 48-60 books a year. Are you
busier than a CEO? No you can’t be, you are very bad time manager, But if you
can’t read even 1 book per month, it means you have not yet set your priorities
right.
In the words of Joseph Addison, “Reading is to the mind
what exercise is to the body: as by the one, health is preserved, strengthened,
and invigorated; by the other, virtue is kept alive, cherished, and confirmed”
Famous writer and motivational speaker Burke Hedges tells – “When we read inspired,
thought provoking books, we grow richer in all phases of our lives. In short,
reading has the power to transform us from what we are right now to what we
could be in the future.”
Block out time each day to read, positive, inspiring
books. You can set a target of reading for 15 minutes daily or reading 10 pages
daily of a book of your choice.
Humility is the byproduct of being teachable. A person
who is humble is teachable. A humble person is genuinely interested in what
others have to say. They know they do not have all the answers and continually
seek to learn from the insights and experiences of others. Blain Lee the author of “The Power Principle”
talking about humble people says “they (humble) approach others with open minds
and are willing to be taught”
A humble person would be quick
to acknowledge the contribution of others, if complimented on something that he
has achieved; he will always attribute his success to his team, or persons who
helped him in the process. The humble acknowledge the work, help and support of
others and give thanks to them and God.
In the last scene of American biographical drama
film directed by Clint Eastwood movie Sully (2016), in which Tom Hanks who
played captain Sullenberger, who successfully landed his plane with 155 passengers
on the river Hudson, after a bird hit destroyed both the engines of the plane
on January, 15, 2009. The captain was facing an enquiry commission and the
enquiry officer said after all the evidence and hearing of witnesses finished -
I'd like to add something on a
personal note:
I can say with absolute
confidence that,
after speaking with the rest of
the flight crew...
with bird experts, aviation
engineers,
after running through every
scenario...
after interviewing each player,
There is still an X in this
result..
and it's you, Captain Sullenberger,
remove you from the equation
and the math...
just fails.
To which Captain Sullenberger
(Tom Hanks) responds –
I disagree.
It wasn't just me, it was all
of us.
It was Jeff and Donna and
Sheila and Doreen and...
all the passengers, or, rescue
workers...
and Air Traffic Control,
Floatable Crew and Scuba Cops.
We all did it!
We survived!
This was the response of a
captain who did something so extraordinary that it was never done before him, or
so far till date. His X factor was his teachable attitude, which helped him
observe and absorb information from everyone, and upgrade his knowledge and
skill to such a remarkable level.
The humble realize that life is
not a competition. The humble are cooperative and always seek to lift others.
They celebrate the success of others. Humble people consider themselves smart,
beautiful, intelligent and have a very positive and strong self-image, but they
will not think themselves smarter, prettier, more intelligent than others.
For the humble their worth and
respect comes from within, their positive self-image and self-reliance is their
source of worth and respect. The humble seek the bounties of life they enjoy
without a thought of what others think or say about it.
The humble are driven by a
mission to help others. Their success in life is a byproduct of their mission
to help others.
A humble person would not show
off his money and riches, he will use it to help and support others to the best
of his ability, and a humble person with knowledge would not be haughty and
look down upon people but would become humbler.
विद्या ददाति विनयं विनयाद्याति पात्रताम् ।
पात्रत्वाद्धनमाप्नोति धनाद्धर्मं ततः सुखम् ॥
With Great Knowledge comes
Total Surrender and surrender
With Total Surrender, you
become Worthy.
When you are Worthy, you are
given the Greatest Wealth
That Wealth is Bliss.
Comments
Post a Comment