I don't know

I don’t know.

Honestly, I don’t know.

Read these two sentences aloud. Again, now scream, I don’t know!!

Isn't it almost liberating?

Saying I don’t know is thought to be a negative thing, particularly at work, but also in many social situations. For me, years ago saying I don’t know, helped me secure my largest client at the time for a $100,000 contract and scale my business.

A new lead approached me about developing an entirely new marketing strategy for an industry in which my team had never worked before. Despite the fact that I was highly recommended, I couldn't understand the jargon during the meeting.

After everyone else had finished speaking, the CEO looked at me and I said, "Well, I'm very good at my job, I don't know your industry, but we will kickass in two weeks." I was hired right away.

Nothing bad happens when we admit we don't know; it's just the truth. Consider why we don't know and what we can do about it. It’s not the end of anything, it just might be a good way to start things.

If this is your profession, why are there gaps and how quickly can you catch up? By the way, if you have no desire to learn this at all, now might be a good time to start thinking about a new career.

If it's social stuff, like sitting around the dinner table and discussing general knowledge, you may not care, and you should not care, but it's perfectly fine to say, "I don't know." Everyone should not have an opinion on everything. In fact, I believe most people say dumb shit because they believe they must demonstrate their knowledge. Remember, kids, that opinions are not facts, and you know what they say about opinions, that they are like assholes, every person has one.

Finally, I don't know but I'm curious is the best kind of I don't know. Hobbies, travel, languages, whatever your heart desires. Can you think of anything you'd like to know but haven't done anything to gain that knowledge? What do you want? One thing, please.

Saying I don't know allows me to choose my next learning experience and make it enjoyable. I enjoy learning about my field, but right now I'm learning NoCode for fun because I want to know a little bit more than I did yesterday. I'm not going to become a developer, but I'll feel better.

What is your next learning experience? Please respond to this email and share your thoughts.

I’m going on the road

I’m going back to flying. I have some mixed feelings about it, but i’ll keep that for another time. Right now, i’m focused on trying to break a record of 100 speaking gigs around the world in 2024. Already at about 9% of my target. USA, Australia, and Singapore are already locked.

We are now speaking with people in Hong Kong, Thailand, Bulgaria, and Canada, so feel free to pitch in if you have any ideas or connections. I am excited to meet many of you again this year.

Let’s keep in touch

Thank you for replying, supporting, sharing your thoughts. I’m here to help this amazing community thrive and become better. Say hello by replying to this mail. I’ll see you on the other side.