I think a lot of us would say we desire to be wise. Or at least known as wise, which is different.

For me it’s true, I definitely want to be a wise person. But often I suspect deep down I don’t mind not being wise so long as others’ perception of me is that I am, in fact, wise.

This approach reminds me of a phrase often repeated (with varying attributions), “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” Funny as it sounds there’s enough truth to make me think twice before speaking. And hire a good editor.

There’s an old proverb, which is similar to this idea, “Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent,” (Proverbs 17:28 NLT). For wisdom, it seems, is one of those unattainable goals. Just when you think you’ve got there you realize how much more there is to learn. Somehow it seems a lot easier to just keep up appearances of wisdom, rather than put in all that effort just to learn you’re not there yet.

Through writing the article Gleaning Wisdom I was able to really dig into the steps it takes to become wise. You don’t just wake up one day able to understand the life, the universe, and everything. Unfortunately. It’s actually an intentional process, which takes a lifetime to obtain.

So how does one become wise? It starts by applying what you’ve learned to every day life. And that means you have to have a good attitude. Like I say in my article, “…traits like honest, open-mindedness, self-awareness, and critical thinking must be developed in order to become wise. Wisdom comes from the application of knowledge—not just knowing how to be wise.” If you think you know more than everyone else you won’t be open to learning new things. And if you’re afraid to let others see you as imperfect then you limit your ability to glean from others’ experience. That’s the thing about wisdom. No matter how wise you are…there’s always someone who is wiser.

One of the most important concepts about wisdom I learned is in order to be wise you have to accept there will be others who know more than you, others who are better than you at certain things, and others who are more experienced. That’s just the way it is. Once you can get over yourself, you are on the path to wisdom.