May 6, 2022.
What you don’t know can kill you! Literally and figuratively! You might be wondering, does that mean I have to be an encyclopedia about all topics? Yes, also read the terms and conditions of everything. Just kidding! I personally cannot answer that for you, but I can say you need to ensure you are educating yourself beyond what school and family taught you. Reason being you only know what you don’t know after the consequences of not knowing something have already occurred.
A few examples of scenarios that have a higher chance of being avoided with some levels of knowledge include not knowing your limiting beliefs and self-sabotaging as a result, not knowing your attachment style and therefore attracting incompatible partners, not knowing how to file your taxes properly resulting in a larger tax bill than needed. The gravest is usually not knowing the presence of a deadly disease which can be cured in the earlier stages with routine checks but only finding out you have it in the dying stage. Another one is not having the psychological tools to recognize telltale signs of an abusive partner early on resulting in them harming you in a life-threatening way.
How does one educate themselves?
I can’t answer this question for you. I can only share what I have done to increase the breath of my experiences and knowledge. And I am also not claiming that I know everything that I need to take on every situation that comes at me. But I can surely tell you the person I am today is better at many things than the person I was when I was just focusing on doing my homework and chores. Some things I do include reading, talking to many different people, seeking out new experiences, travelling, listening to podcasts, watching documentaries, and asking questions. I think my biggest priority is asking questions because you not only learn new things, but you also see your own biases through the type of questions you ask. My favorite moments are always when someone says, “the question you perhaps should be asking is…” I usually know I am about to interact with a different perspective and learn something about my own reasoning. Remember the joke about terms and conditions earlier? I think we should all take this seriously as there are numerous benefits that we don’t take advantage of because we don’t know we are entitled to them.
Question of the day:
- What’s one area of my life I can improve by educating myself?
Comment your thoughts and share with a friend who might benefit from reading this!