Say it Often: I Don't Know

'I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing and that is that I know nothing’ – Plato.

The first thing that comes out of our mouth when we are put across anything unexpected is – ‘I don’t know’.

I recently found that it is one of the most liberating yet limiting phrases in the history of the mankind. The reason why I say 'liberating' is because – it lets you be open and evolve in terms of your thought process and ‘limiting’ because we as humans feel defeated when we have to state ‘I don’t know’ as an answer.

In the past there were innumerable situations where I was taken aback because of the fear of being unaware about a certain subject. I was of the kind who would avoid a conversation only to conceal my fear of not knowing all. I always thought that not knowing about something is a sign of incompetence.

However, very soon I realized that I would remain stuck in a rabbit hole if I continued to ignore the opportunities, that could turn out to be life’s greatest lessons. 

I resolved to engage with my fear, though steadily. And once I learnt to be engaged with it, I started to understand how the phrase ‘I don’t know’ is conducive to progress. It enables us to admit the gap in the knowledge and further explore the learning opportunities.

While it may be tempting to list down all the drawbacks of being unaware, let us explore the brighter side of it –

Acceptance 

      An honest ‘I don’t know’ is better than a false ‘know it all’ which may or may not result in the collapse of almost everything created so far. When we assume that we know everything, we are depriving ourselves of exploring that tiny room called 'possibility'.

        Strengthening beyond Measure 

        To admit that I don’t know about a certain subject, felt like putting up my vulnerable side to display,     however, later it proved to be a strength in disguise. I was once told by one of my leaders – ‘When you  know nothing, you will start from scratch, engage with relevant resources and that will in turn help you  gather knowledge that will lead you all the way up.'

        It makes you Humble 

       It is humbling beyond measure to admit the areas you don’t know about and then be willing to engage  with those. You may be ridiculed for being unaware for a moment or two but will render you     something that will stay with you for a lifetime – Knowledge. The essence of learning does not only lies in gaining knowledge about a particular subject, but in understanding other person's lack of knowledge in that moment, because you are aware that you have been or could be there too.

        Catalyst for Growth

       As we grow professionally, it is not what we know, but how we deal with what we don’t know, determines our success. For instance, As a leader you may have a great deal of knowledge about hiring people for various roles basis their resumes. However, the inability to go beyond the resume may prevent you from hiring a suitable candidate that may not have exact academic or professional qualities needed but is not only willing to learn but stick around too. 

     Examine Perspectives

      Communication skills, life skills, technical know-how, leadership skills and a lot of other areas too, when we choose to engage with the aspects, we may not be aware of, we invite other people to share their perspectives. This helps us in understanding from where a person is coming, in a better way.

To conclude, I would like to share just one thought, that I believe might be helpful to a lot of us in times to come – don’t deprive yourself from the beautiful journey of learning, only because you aren’t aware of a few junctions or turns. Perhaps you were put on this track by the great Almighty to learn about exactly those junctions that you are avoiding.