The Wisdom of Knowing Nothing: Socrates, Success, and Discovering Your Full Potential

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”. – Socrates 

I have a confession to share with everyone who reads this today. Writing this blog is one way I live my purpose here on planet Earth. As I’ve shared previously, I got clear on my life’s Vision during the weekend of July 24th, 2003. From this transformational experience, I left with the following life statement:

• I Brett Anthony Penager hereby declare before God, myself and others that my primary purpose in life is to be a man of total integrity, love and excellence in every area of my life and share freely the universal laws of success that God has granted me the wisdom to learn and use in creating extraordinary success for myself and others.

Though I write with the intention of serving humanity by sharing my experiences and perspectives on what I believe discovering your full potential can look like, I’m certain, as Socrates so eloquently shared over 2,400 years ago, “the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” 

Let’s consider why he may have stated this. All of us have and acquire knowledge that can be categorized into the following three buckets:

1. We know what we know: I.e. – Where we’re born, our height, weight, family, name, vocation, etc.
2. We know what we don’t know: I.e. – What it is to be of another race, sex, culture, profession, etc.
3. We don’t know what we don’t know: I.e. – The infinite wisdom and perfection of limitless possibilities 

The overwhelming majority of us live our lives trading information from only two of these buckets. What we ‘know we know’ and what we ‘know we don’t know’. As we grow, develop, and gain experience, both of these buckets expand; however, they create massive blind spots when you start to believe that what you ‘do know’ supersedes what you ‘don’t know’.

It shows up as arrogance, righteousness, pretentiousness, judgment, and conditional acceptance. No matter how certain you are of what you believe you ‘know,’ acknowledge what you’re aware of ‘not knowing.’ Both of these levels of knowing pale in comparison to the infinite wisdom and perfection of limitless possibilities. This is the intrinsic significance and wisdom of Socrates’ statement. 

Though many of these blogs may seem to suggest I believe what I’m sharing is right and valuable, I also know it’s limited in its understanding and application. If I believed the only value I have is sharing these words from a place of knowingness, I would make this the last blog I ever wrote.

Though I share each with a high level of certainty, I’ve also experienced significant accomplishments. I realize it can and should be matched with “compared to what”? This is ultimately the conundrum of exceptional achievement. No matter how high you go, there is always another level to reach. Though confounding on the one hand, it’s liberating on the other. Why?

In my opinion, Socrates’ words capture the essence of discovering your full potential. If you believe there is a destination where your dreams are realized, you will be met with disappointment every time. This is because the experience of attaining it can be summed up in the two words that follow it… “now what”?

If, however, you understand and embrace the conundrum, you can ecstatically savor the moment your dream is realized while reveling in the uncertainty of what lies ahead. You then remain in a state of gratitude, love and childlike exuberance not for the accomplishment, but for what you learn and whom you become in the process.

I’m now 60 years young and feel like I’ve only just begun. I look back, and my heart smiles with memories of transcendent moments along the way, cries when revisiting debilitating heartbreak, and tingles with elation for what’s to be learned ahead. In doing my best to be my best and sharing my thoughts in hopes that they may benefit you, I trust that someone connects with the voice inside us all, realizing your magnificence. In so doing, I remain steadfast in living fully expressed, knowing that with the highs come the lows and, most importantly, remaining grateful for both. 

What do I know?

I know I’m on a quest to do my best, which comes with a ton of measurable failure. It comes with infinite questions, some of which yield answers… only to be replaced by even more questions. It comes with acknowledging that there is far more I am clueless about than what I’ve demonstrated some competency in. Ultimately, I recognize, I don’t really know that much at all. 

This is my confession. Thank you for sharing this wild and crazy ride with me. I hope, in some small way, these words serve you as you have served me. We’re all in this thing called life together, so we might as well enjoy the journey, no?!

With nothing but love and gratitude for you.

Be Larger Than…