This is the Fundamental Key to Learning Anything in Life
If you want to learn anything in life, you have to get this principle down.
After working in the corporate world for 8 years, I thought I knew a thing or two about business. When I got into the MBA program, I thought,
“How different could this be? What could I possibly learn that’s so revolutionary?”
Then as I progressed in the MBA program and learned from these high level professors and read these case studies and textbooks, I realized an important truth.
I know nothing about BUSINESS.
It’s only when I came to that conclusion early on in the MBA program that I was able to put myself into sponge mode and absorb everything that was taught. I was studying my real estate license during this time too and I loved what I was studying. Wrote my real estate licensing exam and was ready to take the real estate industry with my MBA, 15 page business plan and my newly equipped real estate knowledge.
I interviewed at 7 different real estate brokerages, got into the industry and started working. I was confident, I thought I knew real estate from the course and textbook and the exam. Surely, the MBA and all the education prepared me for this.
Then, I quickly realized,
I know nothing about REAL ESTATE.
Once again, put myself in sponge mode and did whatever I could. My business plan was not thrown out, but constantly being modified to fit the demands and needs of what was going on in the industry. After doing several deals in my 1st year, I felt pretty confident. I thought I had a good grasp of real estate until… I met a real estate investor.
He was a veteran and he asked me a bit about real estate investing and I explained my limited knowledge to him and then when he started to speak, I was speechless. I was like the grasshopper, meeting the grandmaster. With eyes wide open, and brain blown, “Teach me, oh enlightened one!” is what I thought to myself.
Once again, I came to the conclusion:
I know nothing about REAL ESTATE INVESTING.
Then I started jumping into this field and learning as much as I could. Several months later, I joined REIN (Real Estate Investment Network) and quickly learned as much as I could and my mind kept reaching new heights of knowledge and “enlightenment”. Lots of a-ha moments.
The biggest mind-blowing experience was when I met my millionaire mentor. I had been doing well in real estate, winning company awards from my 1st year, I knew a thing or two about being an entrepreneur, right? Pretty confident.
After the 1st hour I spoke with him, I realized that that hour with him was more valuable than my entire MBA program.
I know nothing about being an ENTREPRENEUR.
Every time, I hit this milestone where I realize I know nothing, that’s when I can truly learn.
Later I accumulated a bunch of knowledge about being an entrepreneur but to keep myself humble, I am reminded by what my mentor said,
“The 3 most dangerous words in the English language are…”
“I know it.”
Then he says, “You don’t know sh*t! You don’t know anything unless you’re living it out.”
If you want to be the best student you could possibly be,
If you want to learn as fast as possible, and absorb what you are learning,
If you want to have the right mindset when you learn,
You have to come to this conclusion:
I know nothing about (subject you are trying to learn)
Yvonne Yang 
Carlos Garcia 
