Finding Giants
For my 3 year old daughter I’m a giant.
At the zoo, when I lift her up and place her on my shoulders, her world literally changes. She sees what no 3 year old can possibly see on her own. And if there are a lot of people heckling the lion, she sees the lion and I can’t. Her giant can’t see what she sees, but she sees because of her giant.
There are always people who are better than you. Then there are people who are not just better, but are giants compared to you. How can you find those people?
As I’ve written in the past, it is essentially the student’s job to find a teacher. I think a better analogy is that you need to find your giant.
Why You Need Giants
Isaac Newton famously said in his letters,
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Do you want to see further?
If you are aiming to be “normal”, you do not need giants. But another word for “normal” is “average”. Do you aim to be “average”? I hope not. You shouldn’t be reading this blog then.
But if you want to be greater than before, if you want to achieve more than you thought possible, the fastest way is to find giants. Stand on their shoulders if they let you. Most teachers actually want you to use their experience, their knowledge, their skill.
Once you find a giant, everything changes so fast that people refuse to believe that it’s possible. This happens quite a lot.
For example, I had zero experience in dairy farming. But I searched for extraordinary people within the field. Giants. I found a few by God’s Grace. People like Naeem Malik, people like Malik Haneef. And within months, I had the “foresight” that I amalgamated from these giants.
While building out the farm, I took decisions that no one thought were necessary, but I knew, because I could see what others couldn’t at the time. Giants help you see further. I ended up writing an eBook about it that has helped hundreds of would-be dairy farmers make important strategic decisions.
The same giant leaps happened for me in blogging. It was through the writings of the ever-helpful Chris Guilleabeau that I was finally motivated to start my journey into “pro blogging”, almost 2 years ago. I still find the 2 Questions as useful as ever.
Thanks to the writings of another giant for me, Corbett Barr, that I took the 21 actions that really kickstarted this blog.
I was helped by people who were better than me. And they helped me get better. I saw further.
How to Find Them
Here are practical ways to find these golden folks:
- Start from a position of humility. You need to realize that there is more to know. There are people out there who know more than you. If you think you know it all — or the more common “I know enough”, then it is all but impossible to find a good teacher, a mentor.
- You can find mentors. Find people who have done what you want to do, and find out ways to contact them. Call (or write to) them once a month perhaps. Ask them well thought-out questions and then listen. I think the article 3 steps to Finding The Right Teacher for Any Project can help, God willing.
- You can enroll in classes on self development. A lot of workshops and courses – some that I’m developing myself – are out there that are developed by people who have done what you want to do. Pick the one that resonates with you.
- You can start reading people who study success, people who study achievement. You can find methods that help you get to where you want to go. A good library of books at home is a good start.
I am thankful to the people who have helped me see further than I ever thought possible.
I hope and pray that you are able to see beyond what you think is possible. I hope and pray that you achieve the best. And I hope and pray that you remain thankful to those who helped you out.
Question: what area of your life needs a “giant”? Do you have any stories on how a teacher helped you? Have you thanked that teacher/mentor/giant yet? Let me know in the comments section or via email.
