Wisdom Strategy: Wisdom rushes in - taking risks that lead to opportunity - without knowing how it will turn out.
"Where Angels Fear to Tread"
Enthusiastically floundering your way to wisdom.
A funny thing happens when I first contact people who have been referred to Wisdom Out. They almost always deny having any wisdom at all. Suspicious that my call to them is a mistake or a gimmick, they launch into a monologue to prove to me just how unwise they are. They tell me of their failures and they allude in hushed tones to mistakes so grave that one would wonder why these truly lovely people are even at large. I have a theory about this: we seem to think that wisdom is reserved for global, iconic figures who move nations and the world - people like Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Oprah. This view makes wisdom appear daunting and unattainable and, sadly, robs us of an approach to life that makes even our greatest challenges easier to face.
Wisdom often comes when we take on challenges we are unprepared for. Wisdom Maker Wallace Howard impulsively quit his teaching position just a couple of years before retirement. See, he had developed an effective approach to teach struggling kids how to read, but the school principal told him he had to stop using it. Motivated by his single minded desire to help kids, nothing seemed saner in the moment than walking away from the security and salary of his tenured position (see more about Wallace's unique approach to teaching reading at www.makinggreatreaders.com).
Conventional wisdom tells us that fools rush in where angels fear to tread. The truth? I've found that wisdom rushes in too. What's the difference? Where foolishness is seduced by quick fixes and easy answers, wisdom has a nose for the Greater Good.
Here are some concrete steps you can take to "rush in" and grow some wisdom of your own:
- Think big. What challenge can you devote yourself to that energize and stretch you and also creates possibilities for others? Something that might even be your legacy? Examples: At work this may be targeting an important project through which you can also create a collaborative culture (easier said then done but worth the effort!). At home it could be learning how to cook excellent healthy meals that you can teach to friends, family members, and programs in the community - including homeless shelters. Go even bigger and do some of the things the Wisdom Makers have done - build a school in Africa (Doug Reeves and Lisa Foley), start a national database to reunite people in times of disaster (Mark Cerney), help growing countries write their national constitutions (John Simpkins), fix up houses and use the proceeds to endow an orchestra's conductor (Catherine Mun-son). These are all "regular people" who rushed in to take on challenges without knowing how things would turn out.
- Honestly look at what you will have to give up to do this. Do it anyway.
- Leverage the lessons you learned from a past hardship into wisdom to see this thing through.
- Look at the seemingly haphazard events of your life so far and notice the patterns. Are you repeatedly drawn to learning about something or engaging in activities that support what might be your true calling?
- List everything you will learn from this if it goes badly. Do it anyway.
- Take the first step. The first steps might look small and unremarkable, but they create momentum. Examples: google something you need to know, make a call to someone doing what you want to do, read a book about it, volunteer with an organization already doing it, reorganize your schedule so you have time to get it going.
- Find a mentor. The truth is, regular people all around you are doing magnificent things. Talk to them, listen, and learn.
- Without shame or hesitation, tell everyone you know about what you are up to. Don't hedge your bets. Accept assistance and welcome involvement.
Write to me to tell me your story. I'm listening.
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| The Six Steps of Wisdom Out
Wisdom Rushes In is one of the six steps toward becoming wiser. Look for discussions and examples about each of these steps in future Wisdom Out newsletters.
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| Do You Know a Wise Couple?
I'm about to hit the road to begin the interviews and videotaping of wise couples across America. But I need your referrals! The new working title of this project is Wise Up: Eleven Lessons for Fools at Love, from Couples Across America Who Know. This project seeks to illuminate the nature of wisdom in couples - to shine a light on the way wise couples got together in the first place and how they navigate the travails of life together.
Can you refer a wise couple for me to interview? Please submit your nomination by going to the referral page at http://www.wisdomout.com/nomination_form.html
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Book Progress - NEWS!
On September 1st, my co-author Doug Reeves and I submitted the manuscript for Renewal Coaching to our editor at Jossey-Bass. What an incredible and positive experience it has been for me to write this book with Doug. We have two other books to support Renewal Coaching (a workbook and a case study book) still due to our publisher this year. Renewal Coaching is based in large part on my work with Wisdom Out. It is essentially an application of Wisdom Out into the world of Leadership Coaching - another topic near and dear to my heart. I'll let you know when the first book is available for purchase and I'll keep you posted on the progress of the other two as well. We will also have a website for you to visit to download additional material.
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Wisdom Quote
"Dare to be naive."
--Buckminster Fuller
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