What You Do When You Don’t Know…?

As a culture, I find we’re OBSESSED with quiz shows. Why? It’s a simple answer: we love to test our knowledge. We put value on intelligence. It becomes a literal competition to see who is the smartest. You can look beyond quiz shows and look at any standardized tests as further evidence of that. As much as I appreciate smart people, I’ve come to realize that the true test is not what you know, it’s what you do when you don’t know. It’s how you overcome obstacles..that’s the real test of the mind. It’s easy to look at someone we think is smarter than us and feel inferior. The reality is none of us are born with any knowledge. It must be learned and attained throughout life. As writer David Foster Wallace said, “I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think.” That’s right. We must learn how to think in order to learn because if we don’t, we’ll forever feel overwhelmed by any subject – simple or complex. This is what I, Phil Svitek, will teach you in today’s lesson – to learn what to do when you don’t know. I’ll give you strategies and tactics I’ve learned used firsthand. Comment below with any questions or comments you have.

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Transcript:

As a culture, I find we’re OBSESSED with quiz shows. Why? It’s a simple answer: we love to test our knowledge. We put value on intelligence. It becomes a literal competition to see who is the smartest. You can look beyond quiz shows and look at any standardized tests as further evidence of that. As much as I appreciate smart people, I’ve come to realize that the true test is not what you know, it’s what you do when you don’t know.

It’s how you overcome obstacles..that’s the real test of the mind. It’s easy to look at someone we think is smarter than us and feel inferior. The reality is none of us are born with any knowledge. It must be learned and attained throughout life. As writer David Foster Wallace said, “I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think.” That’s right. We must learn how to think in order to learn because if we don’t, we’ll forever feel overwhelmed by any subject – simple or complex.

Let me posit it to you this way – how many friends or family members do you have that try their hand at something, rave about it, only to weeks or months later push it out of their lives completely. When asked, their explanation may be the infamous: “it wasn’t for me”.

Here’s a concrete example: I know plenty of people who start tennis, love it and see themselves become better and better. Then they hit a plateau. They can’t overcome it and thus stop playing tennis. The initial incline is evident in all areas both physical and mental. Those who quit as soon as they reach the first dilination from this upward trajectory are referred to as dabblers. They try their hand at it only so far as it provides reward for their efforts.

Here’s a reality check: in all disciplines of life, there will be plateaus to overcome. This is exactly where the notion of what you do when you don’t know comes in. What will you do when you stop improving? What happens when you stop seeing results? What will you do when the going gets tough? What will you do when you simply just don’t know?

The reason why many scrap activities, goals and projects altogether is because it’s far easier to quit. Quitting is the default action most people take unfortunately, and it’s rather sad. Often, you’ll hear people refer to someone as quitting on their dreams. And that’s exactly what it is most often.

But there are several strategies beyond giving up: mentors, books, online videos or articles, classes, groups…you get the picture. Usually, the harder the problem, the more you’ll have to employ a combination of those. Your ability to figure out what to do when you don’t know will impact how fast you’ll be able to work through those roadblocks. If you research solutions to similar problems of the past, discuss it with people deemed experts within those arenas, you can chip away at the problem. Just never give up – It’s not easy, but It’s that simple!

However, the real challenge is often that even those who overcome these hurdles are surprised by such hurdles whenever they come up along the way. If we look at a chart, we classified the first type of person as a dabbler, quitting at the first obstacle. The people who overcome these hardships but don’t see them coming, will eventually be decimated by their inability to foresee such roadblocks. With each breakthrough, they lose a certain amount of passion and energy because of the effort required in overcoming it.

There is a third level, though. A real master knows that complications are to be expected. This is a person who understands if she anticipates them, she will not be overwhelmed by their inevitably. Masters not only have strategies they can use to breakthrough hardships, but they also don’t fear the adversity of such moments.

In a way, it’s a combination of perseverance and patience.

So next time you watch or meet someone who knows a lot, rather than be intimidated, learn from them. If you don’t know something they know, it’s okay. Ask for clarity. Ask them to explain. People may try to judge you or demean you for the things you don’t know. Don’t give in to those taunts. You know things they don’t know.

Understand, I do value knowledge. But as you go through life, let your thirst for knowledge be a driving force, not a goal. Study your passions and execute them to the best of your abilities, and as time goes by, continue to get better because of what you’ve learned along the way.

As a start, focus on identifying how you learn best: is it visually, kinetically, or auditorily. This will help yield results faster as each of us have different ways we learn. Happy learning.

Lastly, here’s some quotes to both inspire you and reinforce the lesson:

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with the problem longer.” -Albert Einstein

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” -Winston Churchill

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” – Pele

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” -Anthony J. D’Angelo

“Change is the end result of all true learning.” -Leo Buscaglia

Leave a comment with any thoughts, opinions and questions. If you enjoyed this video, please be sure to give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends and family. If you’d like to be notified when future episodes release, be sure to subscribe on either Apple Podcast or YouTube. To support the show go on Phil’s Patreon page at patreon.com/philsvitek. Lastly, if you love television or movies, check out his networks AfterBuzz TV, dubbed the ESPN of TV Talk, and Popcorn Talk, a movie discussion network, for more content. Thanks for watching. See you next Monday with another one of Phil’s life lessons.