The Mark 2 fibreglass (Tom Yardley-Jones) Tardis as used in the 1980s - photo taken by me Zir 23:49, 18 May 2007 (UTC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I admit it, I sometimes get hooked on odd or silly television shows. Lately, it is the British science fiction show Doctor Who. I stream it from Netflix onto my iPad, which I have connected to my television set. How Doctor Who-like is that? The show is about a several-thousand-year-old “Time Lord” who travels through time and space in a blue police call box called a Tardis, and changes form every now and then (presumably when the actor playing him decides to move on to other roles) in an event he calls “regeneration”. I told you it was silly. (For all you Doctor Who fans, yes, I said it. It’s silly. You know it is even if you won’t acknowledge it to yourself. From one fan to another, simply admit it. You’ll feel better and the show will still be just as fun. You’re welcome.)
The Doctor, as he is called, hates to be alone and always travels with a companion, a human from Earth. Usually it is a very pretty human. Although he often has to rescue the companion from some peril, the companion also often rescues him and he almost always learns new things from his companion. He almost always resists the fact that he can, indeed, learn anything new, being several-thousands of years old after all, but he learns nonetheless.
This is the thing that occurs to me: If a several-thousand-year-old Time Lord can still learn things, and from an ordinary person, we all can, no matter how smart we already are. (Yes, I know, it’s just a TV show, and a silly one at that. Bear with me.) There is a philosophical phrase I heard many years ago, I forget where and who said it,”A true master is someone who can be contributed to by anyone.” To me, this means, in part, that to master something, you need to be willing to find your lessons anywhere and from anyone.
It also means you need to always be learning. The learning can be formal, in-class or program learning, or it can be more informal, out-in-life learning. A combination of the two seems most powerful to me. I really suspect that you lose whatever mastery you have once you think there is nothing new to learn.
What does this have to do with creativity and business? Everything. To master your chosen field you must continually learn. Some professions require it. Doctors, lawyers, accountants and other professionals are required to take “continuing education” courses throughout their career if they wish to keep their license to practice. Successful dancers and athletes are always under the care of coaches who help them hone and perfect their art and craft. Those are obvious examples, but I doubt you can name a profession or life’s work that continued learning wouldn’t enhance.
I have seen people set themselves up as the “Gurus”, the enlightened masters of marketing and/or business. Those that continue to learn, continue to listen to us mere mortals, seem to thrive. Those who think themselves above the fray, who think they know best in all things, no matter how successful they have become, usually begin to fade almost to the point of irrelevance. That’s kind of sad, really. They got to where they are by learning from others, then shut that possibility down.
No matter how much you know (and if you are an expert in any field, you know a lot) be more like Doctor Who. Even if you are certain that you know more than any other being could possibly know (being several-thousands of years old and all), there is still room to know more. Keep learning.
Even if where you learn from is silly.
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(Speaking of learning, have you looked at the Lights, Camera, Take Massive Action program that Connie Ragen Green and I put together? We’re getting great comments on it. Go have a look: http://www.lightscameramassiveaction.com/)
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