Humility. It's something that all of us are much worse at than we think we are. We are creatures who feed on our own egos, and to a certain extent that is healthy- our ego is a confusing beast that has barely been tapped, our own knowledge of our own existence. But to believe you know everything about something will destroy your ability to learn.
This seems quite obvious for most of you, I'm sure. You're probably wondering why I'm bothering to write a blog post about this. But understand that at some point in your life, you are likely to have turned down useful information because of your belief of your own self importance.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American philosopher, once said 'In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.'
This is an incredibly powerful quote that you must remember. Everybody, somehow, in some way, is better than you. That does not mean you are worthless, or you have nothing to offer of yourself because of course you do, by the laws of this rule it must mean in some way you are also smarter than someone else. But understand that everyone can teach you something. And when you begin to see people as lesser than you, and you become drunk on your own ego, that is the moment you will stop learning. You will become stuck, unable to become any better as a human being, because the belief that you are as best as you can be is enough to limit your intelligence greatly.
When I was a kid, my mum spent HOURS teaching me how to read, way before pre-school or reception (kindergarten for all you Americans). I was very honestly the best reader in the school. And one thing my mum had sadly not told me is that I had a giant ego. Not because I was a better reader, but because I thought I was a better reader.
Of course this wasn't a massive issue, I was 4 years old, of course I'm not like that now. I believe there are lots of things I've learned in my life that you may not know, but that is because I have walked my own unique path- as does everyone. Everyone I talk to can teach me something. Hell, babies are better than me at a lot of stuff. Don't let your ego tell you that you're better because that is the moment when everyone will surpass you. Always understand that you have a lot to learn from other people, and become a better person from learning from them.