Wisdom is Everywhere
Education and information are not enough
When people look to further their education or their skills, they look toward colleges, universities and training companies. They read books, watch videos – or turn to their favorite search engine or AI. In today’s information-rich world, virtually everything you might want to know is available if you look in the right places.
Education and skills alone, however, are not always enough to ensure the type of achievement and success you might be looking for. Our attitudes play a big role, of course, but perhaps the most important thing we can develop and expand is our wisdom.
Wisdom is never wasted
There is a big difference between knowledge and wisdom. You might, for example, know the right choices to make – but do you always make them? (I’m on a diet, but that ice cream is calling to me…).
Knowledge, education and skills are important, but without wisdom they become meaningless. It’s been said that wisdom comes with age and knowledge – but that’s not always the case. There are plenty of old, educated fools around. Wisdom, on the other hand, is never wasted.
You don't have to look far to find it
The great thing about wisdom is that it’s everywhere, and you don’t have to look far to find it. You do have to look, though, and that’s the trick. The key to gaining wisdom is awareness – awareness of the things around you and the people around you. It’s all about paying attention.
Want to become more successful at work? Observe people who are achieving the type of success you would like to have. Watch what they do, how they do it, when they do it, and who they do it with. Then watch people who struggle, and those who never seem to attain what they are seeking. Pay close attention to the difference between the two, and let your actions be guided accordingly.
Don’t restrict your observation just to people at work or people in high places. Some of the greatest wisdom you can acquire will come from the unlikeliest of sources – children, casual acquaintances, strangers, pets, wildlife – pretty much anywhere you can imagine. You just have to keep your mind and eyes open. It’s not an accident that Robert Fulghum’s classic, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, was a runaway best-seller.
