How To Become Smarter… Part 2. | Stephen Rolston

Married? Have kids? Have parents? Got any clients? If you’ve got a pulse, someone in your life regularly says to you, “listen”

How to become smarter…..choose wisely who you listen to. Listening leads to learning. It’s got BIG consequences. My life has been defined by the voices I have listened to and those I have tuned out. If there was a “rewind” button for life there are voices I should have turned up and some should have been turned off!

But we can’t turn back time. What we can do is learn to listen with greater discernment now. There are many competing voices and there is the voice within us. The voice within us needs a source of wisdom.

That wisdom for me comes from the Bible.

First seek the counsel of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 18:4

Even if you are not a Christian, a great tool for how to become smarter is by Andy Stanley called Listen and Learn. He tells us that what and who you listen to will determine what you do. Invest in this wise counsel and memorably learn how to apply this to your life.

Many say you are the average of your 5 closest friends. This truth impacts your personal, financial and spiritual life. You don’t need to look too far to see examples of how success and failure can be traced to the people we listen to. If it’s your friends and they all echo your own desires, you won’t move forward. We all know stories of colossal failures in the boardroom when a CEO or leader is surrounded by “yes men” who echo what the boss wants to hear.

Intentionally surround yourself with wise mentors who are where you want to be in one area of your life. Then LISTEN! They obviously have a road map to getting there. Many folks say they want to get somewhere, but few are willing to intentionally take the time to learn the steps necessary to get there. (How To Find Direction In Life) . When we listen intentionally to advice and glean information from the experiences of others, who are at different stages in life, we often change our perspective on the answers to our questions. Growth in our lives happens when we are stretched with thinking that is different than our own. Much like the tomato plants in a garden that need to be tied up to a stake to grow straight and strong, we need to tie on to others who can keep us on the right line of growth in our lives.

My purpose in writing this blog is so you can move further – faster. Who am I personally listening to? Learning from?

Seven, older wiser mentors. Some of the people I listen to and consider mentors, I have never met. Others I meet regularly and are inspiring and essential!

You should intentionally reach out and gain wisdom from mentors. They don’t know even need to know they are helping! Great teachers like Andy Stanley point out the most basic things. Once you hear them they are obvious. Then you can remember and apply the idea. But you have to take initiative. Seek out practical teaching.

Inspiration comes when we begin to view our lives with greater discernment and intentionality. Imagine living your life knowing and applying the fact that – what and who you listen to, will determine what you do.

Part 1 of How To Become Smarter is learning through reading. Put that together with Part 2….Learn through Listening! Soon you’ll be the mentor to someone else and lead them through this journey!

Attitude: Is there a voice you wish you had paid greater attention to?

Action: Order this CD Listen And Learn. It will help you listen and learn with greater discernment.

Question: Who are you listening to?