Figuring things out is fun. I don’t know why more people don’t enjoy this.
All of my career I have been presented with problems that don’t have easy solutions. I wasn’t an expert so I had to dig into the documentation and do the research. Often the documentation didn’t have the answers so you have to find other sources for answers. Eventually, if you look long enough you find the information you need, and then you try it out in a safe way and then in a larger way.
To me, it is a good feeling when you can gain a new skill or knowledge. I see that as something that is valuable in itself. When it is information that I am looking for, then it is always easy to remember. I see the value in knowing things because then I have a good feeling that I can be helpful and valuable to those I care about, and those companies that I work for.
Then I talk to people who don’t seem to care to learn and instead coast on what they already know. They might learn something by accident, but they don’t really make any effort to remember. These people puzzle me. Mostly because their old way of doing it is usually harder than easier ways, and I find people who do things as they have always done puzzling.
One of the things I loved in the 7 Habits of highly effective people is “Sharpen the Saw”. If you have the best tools and processes, you will get the job done faster and easier. I often see people who are inefficient and sometimes I ask them “Would you like to know a faster way of doing this?” Sometimes they say yes and sometimes they say no. If they say no, there might be reasons I don’t know about why it has to be done that way so I don’t judge them. It is not my job to force my knowledge on anyone.
It feels good to grow and know. Isn’t this one of the most rewarding things about work?