It's OK Not to Know

"I know and I don't know but we'll figure it out together." -Unknown

I have always loved this quote. I'm not sure where it came from, but what resonates with me is the fact that we all have things that we know really well, and we all have things that we don't know. Coming together allows us to share and learn from one another.

There was a time in my life when I thought that I needed to know everything. I don't mean everything, everything such as how to build a rocket ship but I always wanted to know what was next. I wanted to know exactly what I would be doing in five years. I wanted to know everything about where I was living. I wanted to know what all the newest trends were and I wanted to be first. If someone brought up a movie or a band that I never heard of, I had to look it up and know everything there was about the subject. Oh the joys of having the internet at our fingertips. A blessing and a curse. Because information is so readily available, we get the false sense that we do know it all. I used to feel inadequate if I didn't know what someone was talking about. I felt stupid. I HATE feeling stupid! There was one day that some co-workers where talking about a band that I had never heard of and one of them said, "Well I guess only the cool kids know!" She was joking, but it cut right to my heart. Ridiculous! I know. It is ridiculous to think that I can know everything. It is ridiculous to think that I can watch every movie, read every book, attend every event. I realized, I can't know it all and that. is. ok!

IT'S OK NOT TO KNOW

It's ok that I don't know every word in the English language. If it sounds interesting and it's important, I look it up. If someone is talking about something that I don't know about, I ask questions. I let them explain it to me. Especially if it's a passion of theirs, they will love explaining it. And let me tell you, there is nothing better than listening to someone talk about a subject they are passionate about. The way their eyes light up when they are explaining. I love seeing joy in others. There is so much that we can learn from other people if we listen and give them the safe place to express themselves. At my job I'm training to be a back-up to the Agronomist, and there is so much that I don't know. It's very humbling. But there is a lot that I do know and I've learned to trust myself in what I do know. Growing up around agriculture has given me a great base and working in the industry for nearly 10 years has rounded out my knowledge. I have learned that asking questions not only helps me to understand, but it also helps others. There may be a question that others have been wondering, but haven't been inclined enough to ask. I ask questions and ask for clarification often. And I ignore that nagging in the back of my mind that tells me that I should already know. I've also learned that it is ok to say "I don't know." I would rather have someone say to me, "Honestly, I don't know" than have them fabricate an answer. That helps neither of us.

Realizing that it's ok not to know goes right along the same lines with another mantra of mine. It's ok to not be ok. It's ok to not have it together all the time. It's ok. This is a human experience and part of that is experiencing discomfort. It's only temporary and in those moments of discomfort, there is so much to learn. Lean into those moments and stay for one extra moment. See what there is to learn. Experiencing discomfort whether it be not knowing or not being ok, teaches us so much about ourselves. A word that has been coming to me a lot lately is SURRENDER. Surrender to what is. Let the experience be what is it going to be in moments of great pleasure and in moments of great discomfort. Allow things to be exactly as they are. Stop trying to control the experience, the outcome, the reaction. Surrender. It's a very scary thought for some people. Let go? Not be in absolute control? What? But I'm telling you, try it. Surrender. Tell yourself, it's ok. It's ok not to know. It's ok to not be ok.

This is my inner dialogue right now. I'm learning to learn from others and learn from myself.

Surrender to what is and enjoy the ride.

~Stacie

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