Empty Your Cup

I learned a great lesson from a story early in my life and I’ve found that lesson to be relevant almost every day of my life since. It’s particularly relevant when you are going to seek help from someone who is an expert in their field. Here’s the story:

A young man who had begun studying a subject and who had discussed said subject with his friends and family decided it was time to further his studies in the field by seeking an acknowledged master in the field. The teacher he sought had studied the field in a rigorous academic setting for years, had been tested by other recognized experts in the field, AND had decades of practical experience working hands-on within that field.

The young man finally found the teacher and asked her to teach him. She said that first they should have a cup of coffee and discuss things. The teacher began to set out cups and to pour the coffee. As she filled the young man’s cup, it began to overflow, but she continued to pour. The young man exclaimed, “Teacher! My cup is already full!”

The teacher replied, “Exactly. When you come seeking knowledge you must first empty the cup of the knowledge that you are looking to improve upon. If your cup is already full, I cannot fill it.”

This is something we should all carry with us. We might think we know something, or even a lot, about a certain subject. We might have talked to Uncle Joe or Cousin Suzy or our friend Aaron and gotten their take on it, but we must consider the source of our so-called “knowledge.” Did we learn what we think we learned from actual experts in this field? Did the people we discussed this with give us hard-won, field-tested practical knowledge they had gained through study and work, OR did they simply confirm our own bias/prejudice and we sucked it up just because it felt good to be validated?

If you really want to learn, empty your cup. If you seek the information/guidance/assistance of an actual expert in a field, then dispose of the dross that you’ve accumulated in your head from non-authorities. Do not insult the practical experience of the expert whose help you’re seeking by contesting it against the anecdotal drivel you’ve allowed yourself to be poisoned by.

If, on the other hand, you just want to keep believing what you already believe, or thinking what you already think, just because that feels comforting then do that. But don’t try to compare your feelings to the expert’s knowledge. They are not the same.