The power of learning mindset
A dynamic young manager shared with me his success story of starting grounds up and now becoming a marketing expert. In his words, “I had a very humble background. As a fresh undergrad, I recall going to my mentor, who had just started his business, and saying, “Please give me any job. I don’t want money. I just want to learn.” The next day he was there at 8 AM even before his boss arrived. His career took off with that one statement and his commitment to follow up with action. He is doing 30X better than how he started.
He wanted to learn and not just earn.
Taking a higher view
Looking down from a flight window during take-off and landing broadens our perspective. All the skyscrapers seem like tiny matchboxes, while on the ground, they tower over us. This experience has made me realize that having a myopic view can distort our thinking and decision-making. When we focus only on ourselves and ask “What will happen to me?”, it can lead to confusion and inaction. However, zooming out and seeing a higher viewpoint gives us clarity, perspective, and direction.
“When we help others, the focus of our mind assumes a broader horizon within which we are able to see our own petty problems in a more realistic proportion. What previously appeared to be daunting and unbearable, which is what often makes our problems so overwhelming, tends to lose its intensity.” – His Holiness, Dalai Lama
Munger’s wisdom
Very few people demonstrate practical wisdom in their way of being and doing. Charles Munger was one among them. His idea of being wise was about being aware of what one doesn’t know. Here is something he shared about knowing what one doesn’t know. Munger died last week.
“Confucius said that real knowledge is knowing the extent of one’s ignorance. Aristotle and Socrates said the same thing. Is it a skill that can be taught or learned? It probably can, if you have enough of a stake riding on the outcome. Some people are extraordinarily good at knowing the limits of their knowledge because they have to be. Think of somebody who’s been a professional tightrope walker for 20 years – and has survived. He couldn’t survive as a tightrope walker for 20 years unless he knows exactly what he knows and what he doesn’t know. He’s worked so hard at it, because he knows if he gets it wrong he won’t survive. The survivors know.” – Charles Munger, Vice Chair of Berkshire Hathaway, 1924 – 2023