Looking at Life's Illusions

Movie watching over the weekend, I heard the classic Joni Mitchell song, Both Sides Now. I’m sure you remember the song, which seems a little silly with it‘s talk of clouds, ice cream, and circus clowns, but if you google the lyrics and read the words it is a profound statement of life. The lyrics are quite moving, “I've looked at life from both sides now, from win and lose and still somehow, it’s life's illusions I recall, I really don't know life at all.”

Here is why I bring this up. I keep saying to anyone who will listen that the older I get the less I know. I am not talking dementia here just the lack of clear, all-knowing wisdom. As I was growing up, I thought the adults in my life all had wisdom. I thought they knew what they were talking about and truly were wise. I had no Idea it was all an illusion and most of us are just doing the best we can and making it up as we go along.  Stephen Hawking said, “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is an illusion of knowledge.”

The Illusion of Knowledge

Life is like a maze of doors. While each door presents us with a different set of opportunities and challenges, the key to a fulfilled life lies in acquiring the knowledge to make the most out of those possibilities and challenges. It is interesting to see that each door we open takes us to another closed door. That’s life! Therefore, to keep moving forward, we need to be a life-long learner. We need to be someone who admits their ignorance and strives to gain the knowledge to open those closed doors. However, a person who thinks they already know all there is to know is living in an illusion of knowledge.

Be a lifelong learner. The first step to being a lifelong learner is to develop a growth mindset. Ironically, it is also one of the skills of being a great leader. If it is that Important, what is a growth mindset?

Have a Growth Mindset

According to Steve Hogarty, editor of City AM newspaper, "Having a growth mindset means believing that a person's abilities aren't innate but can be improved through effort, learning, and persistence. A growth mindset is all about the attitude with which a person faces challenges, how they process failures, and how they adapt and evolve as a result.” Which means being a lifelong learner! No matter what your age or level of expertise you have an obligation to keep learning and to keep striving to do better. Small steps of continuous improvement can be big over time. So fellow travelers that are just trying to figure out what’s next in the maze of doors relax, know that you are doing it right because you are questioning your knowledge.

That’s what keeps us curious, motivated and a lifelong learners. I think it is ok to feel like you know less. It is better than having an illusion of knowledge that is not real. That is the view from where I sit this week.