Milk and Not Knowing

I remember a particular lunch time when I was in first grade: The enlightening subject of “What kind of milk do you drink at home?” had come up. All the kids went around the table remarking what they “allegedly” had in the refrigerator back home. From 1% to Nonfat, to Skim milk everybody had an answer. I’m sure there were some versions of milk mentioned that didn’t even exist. It came around to Zack, one of the coolest kids in school, to give an answer. He said we all were thinking; “I don’t really know what have at home, I just drink whatever.”

God, Zack was so cool.

What is about us that makes saying “I don’t know” so hard?

“It has long been said that the three hardest words to say in the English language are ‘I love you.’ … For most people, it is much harder to say ‘I don’t know.’ That’s a shame, for until you can admit what you don’t yet know, it’s virtually impossible to learn what you need to.” — Think Like a Freak

What you don’t know is amazing! It’s one of the few things that makes you truly unique.

How boring would the world be if everybody knew everything? What would conversations be like? It wouldn’t matter what you did know.

How many times have you been in a business meeting and had somebody say something that went completely over your head? Maybe they used some acronym you’ve never heard of. But you’re too nervous to speak up. Guess what? The entire room feels the same way.

Save the day next time and politely interject. “Excuse me, what do you mean by that?” I guarantee you that several people in the room will be relieved as they were thinking the same thing. Do you know how I know? Because you’ve been one of those people before.

Not only will you garner respect from your coworkers and friends, but it even makes you look smart!

I wish I would have spoken up back then, maybe I could have been Zack.