Today I was going through my “Notes” app on my phone. Scrolling through the last year and cleaning it up. Amongst the many grocery and honey do lists I came across this quote and this question. I don’t know why or where I was when I wrote it down and I didn’t attribute the quote to anyone, however, it clearly triggered a question in me. Here was the copy of the note:

Quote: “It’s more important to learn than to earn”
Question: Have I stopped learning?

I’ve all of a sudden been presented with a number of new business opportunities. A few are really becoming interesting to me. At this time, the most exciting one would allow me to spend the majority of my days operating in my sweet spot. The most exciting thing for me, however, and I didn’t expect this,is that I will learn a new industry.

It took me the last 11 months to realize that I know what I do well and I want to spend most of my time doing that, however, the real exciting part is learning something new to apply it to.

When I started with Dave Ramsey in 1999, he asked me to come on board and lead his radio team. He asked me to join him b/c A) I understood and was passionate about the message and B) I knew how to market a personality.

One reason he DIDN’T ask me to join him is b/c of my knowledge of the radio industry. That’s a good thing too b/c I had absolutely zero. In fact, I didn’t know how the signal got from the studio to my car. I’d never thought about it before. I just enjoyed what was coming through the speakers.  As a testament to Dave’s wisdom, when I told him about my “limited” knowledge of the workings of radio here is what he said to me:

“That’s exactly why I want you to come on board. B/c if you were a career radio guy you wouldn’t believe we could accomplish what I’m getting ready to tell you I want to accomplish. You’d say it couldn’t be done.”

Truer words were never spoken.

B/c I didn’t know who the big shots were in radio and b/c I didn’t know what had already been tried and failed, I was pretty fearless in the early days. I would call anybody and would sincerely ask “why” when I was told we couldn’t do something. I was just naive enough to believe we could really achieve the goal we laid out. And, of course, for those of you who have followed Dave’s growth over the years, much of that original vision has been accomplished along with many things that were never dreamed of on that March day in 1999.

Was he right to not hire a career radio guy? Well, I may be biased but I will say ABSOLUTELY. There were people I called in the early days that I would have been a little hesitant to contact in my last couple years with Dave b/c now I knew who they were. They were really important. There were things I tried early on that I quit trying b/c “that’s not the way it works”.  It’s embarrassing as I write these words but that’s what can happen if you’re not careful. Believe me, there are more people in whatever industry you may be in who will tell you why something can’t be done than why it can. If you’re not careful you will begin to believe it and will begin to look like everyone else in your industry. GROSS!

You have to keep learning. Learning new things requires doing things you haven’t done before. Or, doing something you have done but in a different way. Once you start earning decent money it can be easy to start protecting rather than innovating. Bad plan.

So, like I said, I may have come across my next opportunity. I’m excited about it b/c it feels like 1999 again. I have to figure out this industry that a lot of people already know really well. In fact, they know it so well that a 41 year old executive who’s taken 11 months off to figure out the next step might just step in and shake things up a little. Do things a little differently. With a naiveté that refreshing. Someone who isn’t supposed to get a call just might be hearing from me. I will probably hear, “hey, that’s not how it works”. Unfortunately for them, I won’t know that yet. I may just be green enough to try it anyway.

This could be fun. . . .Like, really fun.

As Steve Jobs said, “Stay Young, Stay Foolish”

Catch you later. I have to go make a call.