We all know people who need to be the smartest person in the room. The kind who almost demand the spotlight so they can wow everyone else with their brilliance. They claim the dais as divine right and don’t tolerate dissent or questioning.
More than that, we’ve all been that person. After all, we are smart and accomplished and it wouldn’t hurt others to acknowledge that from time to time.
The truth is, we’re not God. We’re not omniscient. Our experience can’t prepare us to know everything, even about a subject we’ve worked on and slaved over for years.
You can’t learn what you think you already know. You can’t be impressed if you aren’t curious. If you don’t allow even the possibility of magic you can’t comprehend, you’ll never find it.
Being the smartest person means you’ve reached the apex. You can’t possibly learn or grow. It means that you’ll never get better than you are right now. Given the rate of change and new information, it means you can only get worse.
In the Bible, Solomon is renowned for his brilliance. The Queen of Sheba comes and praises him for his wisdom and remarks how fortunate his underlings were to be in his presence. By the end of his term, Solomon had sewed the seeds that resulted in the division of the kingdom and it’s eventual disintegration.
Our ego hates to listen and refuses to learn. When we become convinced of our brilliance, it’s impossible for us to grow.
Growing and forging relationships make life better for you and those around you. You can’t do that if you’re always the person standing on top of the mountain.
Chris Hamilton's Stuff 