Having a Teachable Spirit

The recent Certificate course we ran reminded me that we all need to have a teachable spirit. We should never stop learning and should always allow ourselves to be taught. There’s a Proverb which says, “A wise man listens to advice”. Here’s an extract from an article I read recently.

Everything we know we learned from someone else, including the stuff we claim credit for! It may be new to us, but it's not new. The Governor of North Carolina once complimented Thomas Edison on his creative genius. "I am not a great inventor," countered Edison. "But you have over 1000 patents to your credit," the Governor stated. "Yes, but about the only invention I can claim as absolutely original, is the phonograph," Edison replied. "I'm afraid I don't understand," the Governor remarked. "Well," explained Edison, "I'm an awfully good sponge. I absorb ideas wherever I can and put them to practical use. Then I improve them until they become of some value. My ideas are mostly the ideas of other people who didn't develop them themselves." Edison was a lifelong learner. He stayed open, hungry for knowledge and teachable. The article goes on the say that in order to succeed; we too must be like Edison.

To know whether we’re teachable, the article asks: (1) Am I open to other people's thoughts and ideas?

(2) Do I listen more than I talk?

(3) Am I willing to change my opinion based on new information?

(4) Do I readily admit when I am wrong?

(5) Do I think and observe before acting on a situation?

(6) Do I ask questions?

(7) Am I willing to ask a question that will expose my ignorance?

(8) Am I open to doing things in a way I haven't done them before?

(9) Am I willing to ask for directions?

(10) Do I act defensively when criticised, or do I listen openly for the truth?

Worth pondering on these questions before answering the question, "Do I have a teachable spirit?".