If you aren’t learning then you are going backward. Everything you do should be to the benefit of being further ahead tomorrow – for you, your business, your boss, your customers, your family. Moving forward requires learning constantly. Simply saying yes to everything handed to you is a quick way to be further behind when tomorrow comes because your primary skill is in simply making others look good over a short-term.
This implies that, by definition, we are all imperfect people. We cannot be the best at what we do – there is always a future us or future someone else who will be better. We should not only keep a critical eye on everything around us, we should keep a critical eye on ourselves.
I keep an eye out for when I get overly optimistic or pessimistic for a prolonged period because either can begin to color my thoughts. Similarly, not having full knowledge of a topic may make my questions the incorrect ones to be asking – maybe even to the point that they lead me down the wrong path entirely.
Know thyself. It’s a great philosophy for today and everyday. If you know your weaknesses you can account for them. If you know your strengths you can play to them. If you choose to not know yourself you will never know when you are getting yourself into trouble you can’t get out of.