No knowledge is useless…

Quick who has the greatest winning streak on Jeopardy? Don’t know?? or Don’t care?? How you approach the answer can separate you from success and failure. P.S He’s Ken Jennings and he’s won almost 3.2M on Jeopardy!

Let’s imagine you’re at a dinner party and you know absolutely nobody.. How is this night going to end up for you?? When you boil it all down we find it uncomfortable to strike up a conversation with other human beings because we’re all struggling to find some common ground. Once we find it we’ll open up and fantastic opportunities present themselves. How does Ken Jennings and a dinner party come together?

Thinking Narrow vs. Wide

Winning 74 consecutive rounds of Jeopardy validates that Ken in this case, knows quite a bit on a wide range of topics. If we go back to the dinner party scenario he and others like him would feel comfortable striking up a conversation with likely anyone in the room. They’ll quickly get to what’s interesting with that individual and be able to probe and explore their thoughts on topics they find most passionate. If you’re thirsty for insight and knowledge this is a great opportunity to learn from people as they talk about what’s passionate to them personally and professionally.

Que Donald Rumsfeld :)

Exploring the Unknown

So let’s get it out of the way.. what you know now is boring.. If you’re committed to your success you already know that you’ve gotta keep moving not only to stay ahead but to challenge your assumptions and process. Now I wouldn’t normally pull a quote from the a former Secretary of Defence but in this case it’s too powerful to leave out of this conversation.

Known Unknowns.. Stuff you know you don’t know

Writing this post became a necessity after completing my mMBA at Schulich. It was a powerful experience to find a group of people who are trying to push themselves. Any experience that you put yourself in that pushes your perceived boundaries always creates an opportunity. The opportunity to learn what drives your passion and the opportunity to learn what you didn’t already know.

You don’t need to attend the finest schools or pay the highest dollars to find success in life. In fact all you’re doing is going for the “accreditation” behind your name. Who cares about that! If you’re chasing a job (chasing a “job” is a problem) that demands X, Y and Z before they’ll consider your application you’ve likely found a company doomed to failure. I maintain that “if two of you think the same.. one of you is not required”

I love the way the internet has connected humanity. I love all the pro’s and con’s of the net because it’s pushing us forward. If you’re the type of person who’s in search of progress and wants to challenge your thinking there is no better time. With that said, I wanted to share some sites and ideas that will move you forward.

Khan Academy
I love Salman’s “why” story. He and the team at Khan Academy are making education accessible. **I’ve taken some Finance and Computer sections

Coursera
Fantastic depth of course offerings.. If you’re searching for the certificate most offer upon successful completion Used it

Codeacademy
The language of the future.. if you can’t speak to a computer then you’ll quickly find yourself behind the curve. Used it

Personal MBA PMBA
Buy Josh’s book.. it distills the subject areas of focus in a traditional MBA. Ohh and you’ll save about $120,000 In addition, check out the links to some of the recommended reading. Great stuff Bought the book

Still with me? If you’ve made it this far you see the value in pushing your boundaries. You’re the type of person who sees opportunity when others stopped caring. Stay true to your passion and push your boundaries.

It’s simple.. just choose to change.

Disclaimer on this next vid.. I still giggle and marvel at the message delivery

“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road