You’re Not Dumb…

Summary

• There was a kid who bit into a banana with the skin on because he didn't know any better. Another child called him an idiot, but an adult corrected him, saying the kid was just inexperienced, not dumb.
• The key takeaway is that inexperience leads to mistakes. Making mistakes, like biting into a banana with the skin on, is just part of the learning process.
• You should peel the banana before eating it. This is a simple but effective analogy for learning.
• Make mistakes quickly and learn from them. Each mistake shows you one more way that doesn't work.
• Don't judge yourself for making mistakes. Understand that mistakes are essential steps towards learning and success.
• When you've made enough mistakes, you start to understand what works and what doesn't. People may think you're talented, but really, you just know what not to do.
• In sales, for example, knowing all the things not to say can make you successful. It's about avoiding pitfalls, which leads to closing more deals.

Video

How To Take Action

I would suggest implementing the lessons from the banana story into your daily routine to speed up learning and growth. Here’s how:

Make Mistakes Quickly

1. Trial and Error: Don’t be afraid to try new things, even if you might fail. Each mistake is a step closer to success.

   • Example: If you're learning to sell, try different pitches and see what works best.

2. Learn from Each Mistake: After every mistake, take a moment to understand what went wrong.

   • Example: If a sales call doesn’t go well, write down what you think went wrong and how you can improve next time.

Avoid Self-Judgment

1. Be Kind to Yourself: Remember, mistakes are part of the learning process.

   • Example: If you mess up, remind yourself that this is just a step towards getting better.

2. Focus on Growth: Instead of seeing mistakes as failures, see them as opportunities to learn.

   • Example: Celebrate small improvements rather than perfect performance.

Identify and Avoid Pitfalls

1. Know What Not to Do: As you make mistakes, you’ll learn what doesn’t work. Use this knowledge advantageously.

   • Example: If certain phrases turn off potential customers, maintain a list of them to avoid.

2. Practice and Refine: The more you practice, the more you’ll avoid common pitfalls.

   • Example: Role-playing sales scenarios can help you smooth out your pitch and identify what to avoid.

Peel the Banana

1. Simplify Processes: Break down tasks to their basic steps and focus on executing them correctly.
   • Example: In sales, this means understanding each step of your pitch and perfecting it incrementally.

By integrating these low-cost, high-value strategies into your everyday life, you’ll speed up your learning process and achieve your goals more efficiently. Making mistakes isn’t a setback—it’s a necessary step towards achieving success.

Full Transcript

there was a foreign kid who had never seen a banana before so the kid took the banana and then bit right into it with the skin and everything another child was like you're such an idiot and then the adult yelled at that child and said no he just doesn't know any better and there's a very big difference between being dumb and being in experienced right now you just don't have reps you're going to make a lot of mistakes like biting into the banana you want to just peel that banana you want to bite into the banana bite into the orange all of those mistakes as quickly as possible and not judge yourself for making the mistake and see the mistake as part of the process of being like that didn't work that didn't work and if I develop enough of these doesn't works then you just kind of walk the Minefield and you get to where you're trying to go and people are like wow you're so good at this and you're like oh no no I actually just know all the things not to say in a sale and then they end up buying I just avoid all that and then they buy