After last Wednesday's breakfast dilemma, I got smart and made up a few breakfast items ahead of time and stashed them in the freezer. Since I thawed one out last evening, all I needed do this morning was to pop it in the oven to warm up while I set the table and made the tea. Everything was coming along nicely...a far cry from last week's nightmare. Dharma arrived right on time, and I poured the tea as we sat down to our meal.
"Irwin, I've heard this week that you've been doing a lot of boasting to your friends. It seems, my young friend, that you are an expert in everything! Is that true son? Do you really know all these things that you claim to know?" "Well, no Sir," I sheepishly replied. "I was just showin' off to my buddies. You know how guys can be...." "No, Tadpole. I don't. I learned long ago that the wise frog is one who knows what he doesn't know." So, once again I was going to be the subject of our weekly lesson. If I live to be 100, I'll never know how Dharma hears and sees all that he does. I'm not his only student so if he keeps such close tabs on all us, he must be very busy...
When it comes to the brain, so says Dharma, it can seem like whenever we try to achieve a desired result, the opposite winds up happening. That is the case with trying to be smart. Whenever we try to come off as intelligent, we quite often end up looking and sounding like a fool. How many times have we all done this? Dharma tells me that sometimes the best way to sound smart is to simply say, "I don't know." Being honest is always the way to go.
Being stupid means you avoid thinking by jumping to conclusions. And when you do that, you lose by default. But saying, "I don't know" shows that you aren't eager to jump to a conclusion. And can make you look smart. Another positive is that when you admit you don't know something, it gives you the opportunity to learn something new. And others love to share their knowledge. Experts say that there isn't really a downside telling others you don't know the answer. Even when you think you know the answer, don't be afraid to ask a few questions. it can be helpful to get another take or opinion on the topic. truly smart people don't think others are stupid when they don't know the answer.
Ego plays a big part in all of this, too. We all have that little voice inside our head that says we're supposed to know the answer to anything. But that is rarely ever the case. I bet Albert Einstein didn't think he knew everything! It's not only okay to freely admit that you don't have the answer to every question, it's encouraged. "Irwin, my bog, being able to say 'I don't know' keeps our egos in check, as well as our arrogance, and our lack of confidence. It takes confidence to admit that we're not the smartest frog in the room." And, as usual, Dharma is correct.
I've been a bit of a blowhard lately and I think it's time I admitted to my friends that I really don't know everything. I owe them an honest apology. And I've learned that it's perfectly fine to admit that I don't have all the answers. In doing so, I'll wind up looking smarter than I probably am.
Until tomorrow, I wish you all a peaceful day.
"Irwin, I've heard this week that you've been doing a lot of boasting to your friends. It seems, my young friend, that you are an expert in everything! Is that true son? Do you really know all these things that you claim to know?" "Well, no Sir," I sheepishly replied. "I was just showin' off to my buddies. You know how guys can be...." "No, Tadpole. I don't. I learned long ago that the wise frog is one who knows what he doesn't know." So, once again I was going to be the subject of our weekly lesson. If I live to be 100, I'll never know how Dharma hears and sees all that he does. I'm not his only student so if he keeps such close tabs on all us, he must be very busy...
When it comes to the brain, so says Dharma, it can seem like whenever we try to achieve a desired result, the opposite winds up happening. That is the case with trying to be smart. Whenever we try to come off as intelligent, we quite often end up looking and sounding like a fool. How many times have we all done this? Dharma tells me that sometimes the best way to sound smart is to simply say, "I don't know." Being honest is always the way to go.
Being stupid means you avoid thinking by jumping to conclusions. And when you do that, you lose by default. But saying, "I don't know" shows that you aren't eager to jump to a conclusion. And can make you look smart. Another positive is that when you admit you don't know something, it gives you the opportunity to learn something new. And others love to share their knowledge. Experts say that there isn't really a downside telling others you don't know the answer. Even when you think you know the answer, don't be afraid to ask a few questions. it can be helpful to get another take or opinion on the topic. truly smart people don't think others are stupid when they don't know the answer.
Ego plays a big part in all of this, too. We all have that little voice inside our head that says we're supposed to know the answer to anything. But that is rarely ever the case. I bet Albert Einstein didn't think he knew everything! It's not only okay to freely admit that you don't have the answer to every question, it's encouraged. "Irwin, my bog, being able to say 'I don't know' keeps our egos in check, as well as our arrogance, and our lack of confidence. It takes confidence to admit that we're not the smartest frog in the room." And, as usual, Dharma is correct.
I've been a bit of a blowhard lately and I think it's time I admitted to my friends that I really don't know everything. I owe them an honest apology. And I've learned that it's perfectly fine to admit that I don't have all the answers. In doing so, I'll wind up looking smarter than I probably am.
Until tomorrow, I wish you all a peaceful day.
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