I’d Rather Be Dumb And Persistent Than Smart And Impatient
A friend of mine tells a story about a dumb frog that fell into a big barrel half full of cream.
He was close to drowning, and all of the other frogs circled the top of the barrel and laughed and jeered at him.
But this frog was SO dumb he thought they were cheering him on, so he paddled faster and faster and faster until he churned the cream into butter, and then he was able to hop out of the barrell!
It’s possible to be too smart, to know so much that you know all the reasons why it won’t, can’t, and shouldn’t work.
While you are sitting around stymied by all those problems, some dumb frog down the road is doing it!!
Now, with all my experience, I have to continually fight the disadvantage of being “too smart”.
Yes, it can be a disadvantage!
You can become too close-minded to new ideas or re-testing old ones under new conditions!
The next time you run into one of those know-it-all “experts” who give you all the reasons you can’t succeed, walk away!
Who are they – who am I for that matter – to tell you what YOU can’t do?
There was a guy playing international cricket with one arm!
I wonder how many people tried “for his own good” to convince him to forget about cricket?
The experts in the amusement park business laughed Walt Disney out of the meeting room!
Among other things they told him the idea of having just one entrance and exit for a big park was the dumbest idea of the century!
I could fill a book with such stories!
Unfortunately, salespeople new to a particular selling environment are often set upon by the grizzled veterans – the resident experts in everything thats been tried and everything that won’t work.
Often, their beliefs and biases haven’t been tested in years and are erroneous!
There’s a lot to be said for finding out some things for yourself!!
Great point. I used to be too much of a know it all in my younger days and that often worked against me. I like the frog story!
Anthony
http://www.anthonylemme.com
Great point.
In consulting it can be hard to strike a healthy balance between pointing out when a better approach might be required and stifling the creativity and learning experience of the client.
JJ
Duane,
Yes, sometime we can be too smart for our own good.
A Chinese saying, “People with great wisdom appears to be dumb; people with a little insight seems to be bright.”
John Ho
Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personality for Better Influence & Persuasion
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Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personality for Better Influence & Persuasion
Yeah! NEVER completely rely on advice about your goals from someone that hasn’t succeeded in what you’re working on being successful in. The advice is likely erroneous.
Health, Fitness — Darryl Pace
Fitness Product Review