I Don’t Know
Sure or not?
It's been a long time since I wrote something about learning and studying. Recently it just came to my attention of the problem of the lack of active curiosity amongst students nowadays. People who are self-confident won't use the term 'I don't know' or admit they don't know something; as illustrated by the rather lame riddle, which testers claim has stumped 96% of Harvard students while majority of Kindergartners could offer an answer.
I turn polar bears white and I will make you cry.
I make guys have to pee and girls comb their hair.
I make celebrities look stupid and normal people look like celebrities.
I turn pancakes brown and make your champagne bubble.
If you squeeze me, I'll pop.
If you look at me, you'll pop.
Can you guess the riddle?
Apparently the answer is 'no' and rather than give the answer, people who don't give up would be in the 'work in progress' stage where the 'let me guess' thinking process doesn't cease. While this spirit may have failed for this riddle, it is the thing that drives the very same people to Harvard. At work, 'I don't know' is one of the most irresponsible phrase, both in terms of your duty and towards your personal development. It is okay not to know something but then just plain stating that reflects inaction, the implicit refusal to get pass the stage of ignorance. It is important not to fall into such a trap; being completely confident in yourself is not always good but then the liberal use of 'I don't know' represents another extreme.
Instead of saying 'I don't know', use 'let me check', 'I'll find out', 'I'm working on it' to remind yourself that you have the responsibility to know and should be finding out. Changing your attitude from a preference for inaction and status quo to one that involves actively overcoming one's inadequacy is an important step to achieving personal excellence.