Have you ever heard a small child say, “I already know!” Implying, “leave me alone and let me do this!” It is a mixture of bravery and independence, with a touch of rebellion and annoyance.
Depending on the context of the situation, this can be favorable or not. If the child wants to run across the highway by herself, then a brave adult will probably want to explain why that is not safe. If the child wants to go to the potty on her own, then bravo and go on!
I Already Know…
When it comes to success and getting where you want to go, knowing when to use these three words, “I already know” is important because there is a time to learn and a time to move!
Billy Joel says it best in his song, “Vienna” saying, “Slow down you are doing fine, you can’t be everything you want to be before your time.” Your path to success is a marathon, not a sprint. And learning is part of the process.
Saying the words, “I already know” closes the door on exploring more opportunities, and maybe better paths, especially if it is driven by the rebellious ego.
There is always room to grow and learn more, with a balance of course. You don’t want to be stuck in the learning phase forever. Eventually, you will want to do some action.
5 Questions to Ask Yourself
This resistance to learning more could be caused by fear or overwhelm. Still, without learning, there is no growth! Here are 5 questions to ask yourself the next time you find yourself saying, “I don’t need to learn anymore, I already know.”
- How long have you been doing this task? Imagine yourself doing the task without any more knowledge. Will you be totally satisfied with the outcome?
- Do you really know everything you want to know about this task or is there room to grow?
- Are you resisting the chance to learn? Are you afraid to say you don’t know? If so why?
- What would be the benefits of you learning more?
- What would be the downfall of you learning more?
Final Thoughts
I want to stress this about the path to success. You learn, take action, and then evaluate. Skipping any of these steps will delay your success or lead to costly mistakes. It doesn’t take much to learn something new every day if it gets you closer to your success. There is no shame in admitting that you don’t know everything, nobody does!
All of these steps are important to balance. If you find that all you want to do is learn and not take any action, that can become problematic. Remember that the 80/20 rule in each of these steps. Take ever step one day at a time.
What is your experience with these three words?
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