There Are No Stupid Questions

There Are No Stupid Questions

Transcribe of “There Are No Stupid Questions”

– Hey, guys, Neil Waterhouse. There Are No Stupid Questions. One thing that slows people down with not just building online businesses. But pretty much everything in life. No stupid questions,  Is this thought process that in their head that the question that they want to ask it too basic, or too stupid to ask. Most human beings young and old will take the option of wasting precious minutes, hours, days, weeks, and even months. Trying to figure out something themselves rather than just risk their ego by asking for help. And yes, for the women watching this, yes, males are normally worse at asking for help than females.

Intelligence

Now, most people feel that if they ask this question in their head that they feel could be perceived as stupid. Then the person that they’re asking will think of them as being unintelligent. It’s kind crazy, though, because the word intelligence, according to the Oxford dictionary. Means the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. So if part of being an intelligent person is having the ability to acquire knowledge. According to the Oxford dictionary, if you ask a question, you’re being intelligent.

If you ask a question, you’re being intelligent

But, anyway, for me, the more in-depth I know about particular topic, the more clarity I get. Many times, although I hear people say I don’t have time to learn more about a particular topic. You know, this often comes down to first choosing exactly which topics we want more knowledge about in our life. And even more importantly, which topics we’re not interesting in, and therefore not willing to waste time learning them.

Which topics we’re not interesting in, and therefore not willing to waste time learning them

The way I see it, we’re only on this planet such short amount of time, and it’s absolutely impossible to be an expert in every single topic. Last week my sister Jane passed away in her sleep, at the young age of just 55. Only 2 1/2 years older than me. And it sure makes you realize just the short amount of time that we’re on this planet. How important it is to do more of what you enjoy and less of what you don’t enjoy. Like I said in a previous video, success comes from knowing who and what to so say no to.

Success comes from knowing who and what to so say no to

Or as Warren Buffet says, “The difference “between successful people and really successful people.” Is that really successful people say no “to almost everything.” But saying no to more, or by saying no more often. I should say, allows the average person to have more time to increase our knowledge about our own chosen topics.

Do more of what you enjoy and get rid of the stuff you don’t enjoy

They older I get. The more I realize just how important it is to do more of what you enjoy and get rid of the stuff you don’t enjoy by either outsourcing it. Or getting rid of it completely. Now going back to there are no silly questions. Whenever I attend a seminar, or an event, or a roundtable meeting.  I’m always the pain in the backside at the front, with his hand up, asking stupid questions.

I’m always the pain in the backside at the front, with his hand up, asking stupid questions

And you know, the reason I do this is if there’s something I don’t understand, I need to know what I’m missing, so I can understand, and often it can be that one little snippet of information that glues the whole thing together. Without that little snippet, I can’t join all the dots together. And when you get that missing piece of information, you know, light bulb moment, and suddenly you get it.

I’m not going to give an opinion unless I’ve got enough data

If someone is asking my opinion about something, I’m not going to give it until I’ve collected enough information to satisfy myself that I can give an accurate opinion. And this can sometimes annoy people because I keep, you know, more and more information, I keep casting to get more numbers and stuff, but I’m not going to give an opinion unless I’ve got enough data.

I see this issue of people being worried about asking stupid questions

Now, I see this issue of people being worried about asking stupid questions, in so many different facets of their lives. I see it in my own kids, especially my teenagers. And you guys know who you are. Also see it all the time when I speak at seminars and events. As the end of an event comes to a close, and if time permits, I’ll often ask the audience several times if they have any more questions. Then after I ask the last question and come off the stage, suddenly a stack of people will run over and start asking me questions.

I’ll often ask the audience several times if they have any more questions

And I always wonder, why didn’t they ask the question when I asked are there any more questions? You know, I can only assume that they thought their question could be perceived as silly from the audience. Now, last week I was talking to one of my people that I coach, and he’s got apprentices that work for him, and he also has the same problem of his apprentices wasting time always trying to figure out stuff. Of course, when an apprentice wastes time, they’re wasting money, because time is obviously money. So they could just obviously just ask him and save a lot of money, but it doesn’t happen that way.

The people who get the fastest success are the ones who ask the most questions

And it’s the same with me. Since I’ve been coaching people the last 10 years, the people who get the fastest success are the ones who ask the most questions. Before I get a flock of emails saying I’m saying this with my private coaching group or in my seminars, my private coaching group is sold out, and seminars are also sold out. So please don’t think I’m trying to plug my seminars or whatever, I’m just saying this is an observation.

Whenever you’re trying to learn something, or any something new, leave your ego at the door.

So I urge you, whenever you’re trying to learn something, or any something new, leave your ego at the door. Find somebody who knows how to do what you want to do. Show them how intelligent you are at acquiring information, and ask them your question. Or if you’re at a seminar or an event, be that pain in the backside.

Show everybody again how intelligent you are and put your hand up and ask that question

Show everybody again how intelligent you are and put your hand up and ask that question. Yes, maybe somebody in the audience will think your question’s silly, but there’ll also normally be a lot of people, or a lot of other people, who’ve got the same question, but they’re too scared to put their hand up. Now, when I think back through my journey of since I started working, that was 37 years ago, when I was 15 years of age, and I went to an Apple user group meeting in Sydney with my Dad to watch a presentation of the new Apple Two computer.

My experience

And during the presentation, the two ladies at the front who were doing the presentation, I think her names here Hinka and Ninka Hayzma, they had this shop called the Computer Shop in Annandale in Sydney. They asked if there’s anyone in the audience that could demonstrate the Apple Two computers at the upcoming, well it’s a show in Sydney. My dad grabbed my arm and put it up in the air, and that was the start of my career in the computer online world, and it was my dad that put my hand up in the first place. Anyway, that’s all for this week. Wherever you’re watching this, please scroll down and leave me a comment below. Until next week, list more, sell more. This is Neil Waterhouse.

Please leave me a comment below and let me know what you think.

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