“C6…”
That’s what my chiropractor said to his his assistant after I told him that I was feeling numbness in my left index finger and thumb. I had explained that it was happening occasionally out of the blue.
Dr. Tom explained how C6 is responsible for those two digits. He promptly performed my bi-monthly maintenance adjustment, with a few changes based on the C6 discussion.
It worked.
He thanked me for asking about the issue, as he would not normally have looked for it.
I understood long ago working with Dr. Tom that I shared any peculiarity with him that dealt with my body and how I felt. Almost always, there was something he could adjust to get me back and “aligned” to power forth in life.
The challenge we often face in both business and life is that we aren’t always good at asking the right questions. Heck, sometimes we don’t ask any questions at all!
Fear of asking is certainly a factor – that’s when we don’t want to hear the answer or don’t want someone to feel like we are stupid. I’ve done this before, so I can honestly say that this thinking is stupid.
However, I don’t think fear is the root cause of not asking or “asking right.” I think there are two other factors that contribute more. The first is detachment and the second is hubris.
Detachment comes about because we simply get out of the habit of asking for help, guidance, or opinions. It’s easy to slip into that “lone wolf” mentality, especially if you’re in a position of leadership or an entrepreneur. This isn’t necessarily laziness; rather I think it’s being disengaged from others who have information, ideas, and skills to help us make decisions.
The best way to overcome disengagement is to – well – become engaged! Be more curious; get second and third opinions; don’t accept the status quo; scrutinize things that seem odd or off; and then don’t beat around the bush…ask the right questions.
Hubris is more challenging.
If someone thinks they are the “smartest person in the room,” they stop listening to the opinions of others. That concept of the “smartest person in the room” comes when someone feels they are better educated, more experienced, more innovative, and worldlier than others.
Be careful of hubris.
While we’ve likely met people who share their ostentation easily, we all can be victim of selective hubris. We all have areas of professional and personal skill and education where we are considered the “expert.” We should have great confidence in those areas of expertise and experience. However, when we slide into arrogance and are unwilling to consider other opinions, or more importantly, even ask for new ideas, then we can creep into “selective hubris.”
Let’s go back to my story…
I’m not an expert in anything medical, including the nervous system, bones, and spine. The numbness in my thumb and index finger was new and seemingly minor. Had I taken the tact that I was smart enough to jump on Google and do my own research, then I was smart enough to figure out the problem and then maybe get help. That would have been selective hubris.
Fortunately, I WAS smart enough to ask for help before the problem got worse.
Let’s all avoid both disengagement and selective hubris by being open to getting help from experts, even before we think we need it. We all can’t be smart in everything; let’s do what we do best and get help to keep being our best.
Note: My new book is coming along well. My “team” is helping me and the announcement is coming this month. I’ve made changes to my Unleashed Facebook page this week and will tell you how you can be part of the official launch my LIKING it. Stay tuned for more!
Quote of the Week:
“We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.”
~ Khalil Gibran
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