To Be Wise

Photo by Dirk van Wolferen on Unsplash

I laughed when a colleague referred to me as someone that's wise. The picture in my head of someone 'wise' was much older-much, much older! Wise was not an adjective I was used to hearing to describe me. I grew self-conscious. 

My reflection in the mirror is not quite what it used to be. The gray hairs don't seem to fade away long enough. And because I celebrated my birthday, I'm almost older than double the median age of our teaching staff. Some of our teachers were babies way back on 9/11. Most were learning how to read. Upon further reflection, at least "the old" part of "old and wise" was true much to my chagrin.

We often associate wisdom with old age because an older person has more life experience. Wisdom is the ability to make sound judgments and choices based on experience. But wisdom is not gained because of the sheer number of experiences. Wisdom develops from reflecting thoughtfully on the lessons learned from life experiences. It has little do with age or IQ. 

I Googled the word, wise. 

Adjective: having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment.

What is a wise person? 

A wise person treats others as they want to be treated because they know it will help them, not hurt them. The wise person is who we always go to when we need solid advice. Wise people are who we turn to and who we trust in times of need.

Articles list characteristics of wise people. 

1. They Educate Themselves
2. They Are Disciplined
3. They Admit Their Mistakes and Learn From Them
4. They Are Patient
5. They Take Instruction Humbly
6. They Can Handle Rejection and Failure
7. They Know That They Can Only Control Themselves
8. They Are Guided By Wisdom
9. They Are Trustworthy and Steadfast
10. They Take Calculated Risks
11. They Know Their Priorities
12. They Make The Most of Their Relationships
13. They Are Good Listeners
14. They Are Problem-Centered
15. They Are Humorful
16. They Are Non-Conformists
17. They Are Open-Minded
18. They Are Reflective
19. They Are Compassionate
20. They Are Cultivated

That's not a bad list of qualities for leaders to develop. 

Wisdom is also not the same as knowledge. Knowledge is possessing a mental understanding of certain information. Wisdom is the practical ability to use your knowledge to make good decisions consistently throughout your life.

Yes, I'm older than many of my colleagues. I've had many life experiences that have taught me valuable lessons. In that regard, I can be considered as someone wise and insightful. Honestly, it brings a smile to my face to have others think of me as 'wise,' but I'll accept it as highly complementary.