Note: This article is based on the work of Darius Foroux, in which he tells us about the importance of lifelong learning.
I said to myself, “This is a rich man; he has his name; he has everything, so why does he ask my opinion on everything? What can I add to his experience?”
At first I thought he was just trying to make me feel important, which is a common strategy some people use to influence others, but after a while, I noticed that he asked everyone's opinion and was really interested and listening to me, even telling me that his best ideas came from people he usually asked.
As we became friends over time and he became my mentor, I always wondered why he kept asking everyone for their opinions and advice. So about two years ago, I asked him, "Why do you always ask everyone for their opinions and advice? You're a very successful person."
He said, “I don’t know who said that phrase; he must be a smart man, but he said something like this: The secret of a successful man is that he always sees himself as a student and learns from others.” At that time, I had no idea who he was quoting, but a few weeks ago, when I was scrolling through Goodreads for new quotes, this quote caught my eye:
"Do you know the secret of the true intellectual? There is something in every man that I can learn from, and by this I am his student" (American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson), and I finally understood what was baffling me: that my mentor is a successful person because he kept seeing himself as a student even after all the success achieved.
For example, he got some of the best advice from his business partner's wife, and he learned a lot about investing from one of his golf friends. That's weird, isn't it?
The Importance of Lifelong Learning
Some people think that once they have reached a certain level, they should stop discussing those below them. Some people never talk to them, let alone ask them for advice, and we've all encountered this kind of person: managers who think they're above the rest or people with advanced degrees who think they're smarter than people without a degree.
Some people who have a position, an educational degree, or more money than others do not prefer to learn from others who are not of their "level", and this is the biggest foolishness that happens daily, as I see it all the time, not only in work situations but everywhere. You see this in big companies, where senior management never talks to people from the lower level, and in social life, people who attended university look down on people who didn't.
To me, it is strange that most people claim to be diligent learners, But they completely ignore the idea of learning from others. Just scroll through Twitter, and you will see most of the people in their profiles have written something about lifelong learning, which is great. We should all keep learning forever, but why not learn from everyone we may meet?
Have you ever asked someone you've never considered for financial advice? Maybe a 16-year-old? It's just an idea. Years ago, when my mentor asked me questions about investing, dealing with people, marketing, strategy, and most of the other things we talked about, he knew I was a recent graduate.
Of course he knew, But he didn't care; he was really interested in what I had to say, and yes, 99% of the things I talked about may not have been important, but when you want to grow and develop, you grow small and steady.
"But asking people for advice will make me look stupid."
This is your ego speaking; believe me, you will not look stupid if you ask questions, and in fact, the opposite is true. Most of the smart people I know just ask questions, not make assumptions.
I practiced the habit of asking everyone for their opinions and advice, and people gave me a lot of new ideas for articles, business, and marketing. In addition, I became friends with people just by asking them one question.
In conclusion
What will you lose? Ask the next person you meet something on your mind; try it, but don't be surprised if you get a great answer. If you don't get a great answer, don't worry; just ask someone else.
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