‘Do you think as we get older, we get wiser but are less valuable to others?’
The above question was asked by Mark – a friend (his age is around 50) whom I met at the UK Embassy meeting last week.
(To those who are reading this, do you think the same?)
I smiled and made a joke, ‘Someone told you this?’ (Mark laughed and said ‘No’.)
Then I asked, ‘What are your thoughts on it?’
He asked me again, ‘I like to hear what your thought on it is’.
I said, ‘There is a thought related to it: when you get older, you may have more experiences but maybe less energy. But I know people who create more energy even when they are older…they position themselves to create energy and have more to share with other people no matter what their age is.’
Mark continued my thoughts, ‘Is it less energy because you become less curious about life? I thought that, if someone thinks they are wise and stops being curious, it is not going to be very good. I used to feel the same when I stopped learning…
But I am thankful because I can go to different countries, so I always feel I have to re-learn everything…I still feel that energy everyday’.
I asked, ‘It is an interesting way to see it, to continue being curious to create energy. How to maintain curiosity even when meeting the same people, in the same place?’
Mark said, ‘Wow, you don’t even have to go to a new place, you can be curious about the different ways you look at your work, with people you work with…, isn’t that true?’, he said.
We can choose to be curious to learn and be more valuable to others. It is a choice.
What do you do to keep that energy of being curious?
- Going to a new place? Meeting a new person?
- Asking a new question?
- Seeing things in a new perspective?
This weekend, we organized a leadership team development program for a startup team including senior leaders, investors, Masterchef and Masterchef King of Vietnam and young key executing members.
At the end of the first session, on the first day, a young friend, in the team, 20 years of age told us, ‘I don’t know where I am now in the team when working with these Masterchef people…I don’t know what my role is…’
We all thanked the young friend for sharing his thoughts and told him to keep experiencing the next activities to have his own answers.
At the end of the program, on the next day, after doing all activities with other Masters as a team, at the final reflection activity, we asked whether he found his own answer.
He said, ‘I see many things that need to be done now. I can see myself taking the role of one of the Masters, I just don’t put the timeline on it. I know each of us has our role in life, we need to master it, and respect our own pace’.
Each of us are Masters of our own lives, and the parts of those lives create a Masterpiece when we are together.
When we are curious to learn despite where we are in our lives, we can master our small part to create a masterpiece together.
A great week for us <3
