Am I Teachable?

"A wise man listens to advice."
PROVERBS 12:15 NIV

Everything we know we learned from someone else, including the stuff we claim credit for! It may be new to us, but it's not new.

The Governor of North Carolina once complimented Thomas Edison on his creative genius. "I am not a great inventor," countered Edison. "But you have over a thousand patents to your credit," the Governor stated. "Yes, but about the only invention I can claim is absolutely original, is the phonograph," Edison replied. "I'm afraid I don't understand," the Governor remarked. "Well," explained Edison, "I'm an awfully good sponge. I absorb ideas wherever I can and put them to practical use. Then I improve them until they become of some value. My ideas are mostly the ideas of other people who didn't develop them themselves."

Edison was a lifelong learner. He stayed open, hungry for knowledge, and teachable. And to succeed, you must too.

To know whether you're teachable, ask yourself:

1. Am I open to other people's thoughts and ideas?
2. Do I listen more than I talk?
3. Am I willing to change my opinion based on new information?
4. Do I readily admit when I am wrong?
5. Do I think and observe before acting on a situation?
6. Do I ask questions?
7. Am I willing to ask a question that will expose my ignorance?
8. Am I open to doing things in a way I haven't done them before?
9. Am I willing to ask for directions?
10. Do I act defensively when criticized, or do I listen openly for the truth?

The Bible says: "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice."

(The Word for Today by Bob Gass)