There’s a dangerous place you arrive in life - one where you stop growing because you think you’ve already arrived. It’s the moment you believe you know EVERYTHING & life has dealt you all it can, and you hold all the answers. The reality of life is sharp and unyielding: the moment you think you know everything is the exact moment you stop learning, and life always has an unyielding way of teaching us something.
Remaining teachable is not just a nice piece of advice; it is a survival mechanism. When we lose our humility, we lose our ability to listen. And it is impossible to truly hear anyone, or anything. Especially if you’re only listening with your ego.
When Ego Blinds Us to Someone Else's Pain
I recently experienced what happens when someone replaces empathy and listening with their own pride. I sat down with a close family member and opened up about my journey. I shared my story, my triumphs, and the heavy costs associated with them.
But they didn't actually hear me.
They only heard the parts that served their own narrative. They heard how well I’ve been doing, and because they are family, they quickly jumped to quote my success. They missed the current pain. They missed the agony. They completely ignored the things I had to neglect just to survive and overcome my circumstances.
I told them explicitly: I didn't have time to fix my health because of what I was going through. I look back now and wonder if I should have done things differently. I was exposing a raw, vulnerable truth. I told them that in my pursuit of success, I had foregone my health to the point where I almost died.
Their response? "It doesn’t matter if you did it differently. If I wasn't hard on you, you wouldn't be who you are today."
I instantly got quiet.
I sat there wondering if this person had heard a single word I just said.
…Man, I really almost died. And the takeaway for them was a self-congratulatory pat on the back for their role in my triumph. That interaction became the exact reason I don’t talk to them anymore.
Pride Goes Before Destruction
This person stopped listening a long time before that conversation. In the past, when others offered them wise counsel, they pushed it away. They thought they had the answers. But their ego created a barrier that no new information, no wisdom, and no genuine connection could penetrate.
The old proverb stands true: pride goes before destruction. Although I’ve told them exactly why I don’t talk to them, then still wonder because they think they’ve done nothing wrong.
Sometimes, you have to be wrong to get it right. You have to be able to look in the mirror, accept your faults, and pivot. When I was confronted with the truth about my health, I had to look at myself and question my approach to success. I had to swallow my pride and admit, Yes, I was wrong. I should have taken my health more seriously.
Admitting you are wrong isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s the ultimate sign of strength. It means you care more about truth and growth than protecting your ego.
Remain Teachable
You cannot tell a proud person anything. You cannot tell them they are wrong, because their identity is too wrapped up in being right.
Don't let your past success, your age, or your position make you unteachable. Every single person you meet, and every circumstance you pass through, can teach you something. Stay humble, keep your cup empty enough to receive wisdom, and never let your ego silence the voices of the people trying to tell you the truth.
Like Forrest said “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.”
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