Have you ever heard the verse from Proverbs 15, plans fail for lack of council?
Or perhaps the African proverb, a village without the elderly is like a well without water.
Or what about the quote by Brian Tracy: Learn from the experts. You will not live long enough to figure it all out by yourself.
All of these quotes, sayings, and verses highlight that seeking wisdom from those older and more experienced than yourself is a crucial part of learning and having a successful life.
This is what I chose to do just before I started my recent marketing video project.
Why I Needed Help From Experts
Just to give you a brief overview of the project I was undertaking, my goal of the project was to create a video that would bring more awareness to the conservation work that the Houston Zoo is doing both locally and globally.
But had I ever taken on a project like this before? No.
Or had I ever created a video that could be used for marketing purposes of an extremely large and accomplished organization? Absolutely not.
Because I had no idea where to start or even how this project would look in action, I needed direction from someone more experienced than myself.
Sounds intuitive right?
Well, unfortunately, our world celebrates individuals who succeed seemingly with no help from others. Especially in American society, successful people are often praised for their achievements with little to no recognition of the direction and support that they were given to help them succeed.
This becomes problematic because, as the on-lookers, all we see are successful individuals. We begin to believe that in order to be successful, we have to figure everything out on our own.
Luckily for me, my dad immediately challenged this belief as soon as I started my videography marketing project. He pointed out how little I knew about marketing and videography and how helpful it would be to converse with people who had years of experience in the fields.
Heeding his advice, I then identified several individuals in my network who had professional experience in the world of marketing and communications. And with each expert, I received advice and feedback on my project idea.
Through their help, I not only got a clearer sense of direction for my project, but I was also able to more clearly define the value that I wanted to add to the Houston Zoo through my project.
Why You Need Their Help Too It is clear what I gained from talking to experts about my project, but what about daily life? Why is talking to experts important in every aspect of life, not just with major projects?
Well, first off, growth leads to fulfilled and successful lives. Second, learning is an essential part of growth. And lastly, conversing with experienced people is essential to learning.
So, by that logic, talking to experts is essential to leading a fulfilled life.
It might sound intimidating to talk with experienced people in the areas of your life that you want to grow in, but my guess is that you are already doing a casual version of this anyway.
Think about your love life: have you ever asked a parent, grandparent, or older couple that you know for relationship advice? Or maybe you are bored over the summer and you ask a teacher for an interesting and engaging book to read.
Both of those instances are examples of learning from someone more experienced than yourself in order to gain direction or receive advice. And while I would recommend conversing with someone in your industry of interest rather than having a quick chat with a friend for more formal learning journeys, never stop talking with others for support, guidance, and input.
Because, as Brian Tracy said at the beginning of this blog, life is too short for you to figure it all out by yourself.
This post is part of my marketing videography project in October. If you are interested in learning more about my project, click here.