The Big Error That Keeps You From Becoming Wealthy

WARNING: If: you think you know it all, you have failed.

I learned this lesson hard and fast. I had just graduated from dental school and had achieved something that less than 3% of the population has done. Just like you, I was grinding away to get my degree, and of course come out on the other side Dr. B. This was one of the biggest accomplishments in my life to that point and I was proud. So now I had the education, a title and a ton of ambition. I had a lot of confidence but struggled with ego. I always wanted to be the smartest guy around and share all the information I’d learned with anyone who would listen. I was talking more than listening.

Even when I was in a conversation, I was that guy who they talk about in communications training. You know the one–that guy who is just thinking about the next thing he wants to say instead of listening to the other person.

Then something clicked for me and I figured out that those who listen the most, learn the most. Just because I already know something, so what? Telling people what I know wasn’t helping me learn any more. The only way I could continue learning was to add to what I already knew instead of constantly talking about what I thought I knew. I had to break that habit loop of always talking too much about what I knew. For me at the time, I felt it was the only way to prove my worth. All that just got in the way of me learning. learn to listen.

When you think you know everything, you’re not listening to people. That also means you’re not listening to the bad things that are going on around you. You straight-up miss all the subtle cues that let you know trouble is about to happen or that a major problem is brewing. You stand to gain a tremendous benefit by having an open mind and always being ready to listen, learn and absorb information
I’ve made every mistake in the book because I thought I knew how to do everything. I can think of a hundred mistakes I made when I first came out of dental school, opened my first office, negotiated deals, bought supplies and equipment, looked for the right real estate and found the right partners. I caused myself a lot of stress and financial loss as a result of what I thought I knew.

The day I started listening more than I was talking I began to increase my wealth, decrease my stress, and maximize my fulfilment.