Remind Yourself that there’s always More to Learn
Ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus once said, “It is impossible to learn that which one thinks one already knows.” This, again, relates to our ego. Our ego tells us that we're too clever to learn anything new, and while this assumption is a stubborn one, we can overcome it if we learn to humble ourselves.
One way we can control our ego is by thinking of ourselves as students that never stop learning. Even if you're incredibly good at what you do, your ego can get the better of you all too easily. You can prevent this by reminding yourself that there's always someone who's better than you.
Take guitarist Kirk Hammett. In 1980, he was asked by Metallica to join their band, where his musical talent would be allowed to shine. But Hammett knew that even though he'd just become a member of one of the most famous rock bands of all time, he wasn't done learning. Hammett became a student of world-renowned guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani and, in doing so, was able to take his guitar skills to a whole new level.
Hammett was able to stay humble by working with an immensely talented peer, which is one of the best ways to rein in your ego.
If you want to remind yourself that you've always got more to learn, you can find yourself a highly-skilled mentor. But working with someone more talented isn't the only way to stay grounded; you can also become a teacher.
This is a strategy applied by martial-arts expert Frank Shamrock. He believes that in order stay humble, fighters must not only learn from the very best and train with peers at their skill level, but should also dedicate time to training beginners. This allows fighters to see the full spectrum of skill levels in their sport, while also keeping their ego in check.
Remind Yourself that there’s always More to Learn
Ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus once said, “It is impossible to learn that which one thinks one already knows.” This, again, relates to our ego. Our ego tells us that we're too clever to learn anything new, and while this assumption is a stubborn one, we can overcome it if we learn to humble ourselves.
One way we can control our ego is by thinking of ourselves as students that never stop learning. Even if you're incredibly good at what you do, your ego can get the better of you all too easily. You can prevent this by reminding yourself that there's always someone who's better than you.
Take guitarist Kirk Hammett. In 1980, he was asked by Metallica to join their band, where his musical talent would be allowed to shine. But Hammett knew that even though he'd just become a member of one of the most famous rock bands of all time, he wasn't done learning. Hammett became a student of world-renowned guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani and, in doing so, was able to take his guitar skills to a whole new level.
Hammett was able to stay humble by working with an immensely talented peer, which is one of the best ways to rein in your ego.
If you want to remind yourself that you've always got more to learn, you can find yourself a highly-skilled mentor. But working with someone more talented isn't the only way to stay grounded; you can also become a teacher.
This is a strategy applied by martial-arts expert Frank Shamrock. He believes that in order stay humble, fighters must not only learn from the very best and train with peers at their skill level, but should also dedicate time to training beginners. This allows fighters to see the full spectrum of skill levels in their sport, while also keeping their ego in check.
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