Why I Changed My Execution Method for Progress

Emptying Your Teacup: A Lesson in Open-mindedness

If you’ve read my bio on Medium, you already know I’m here to unleash my inner wordsmith and that I aspire to become a copywriter. My sole reason for joining Medium is to sharpen my writing skills.

Among my grand plans to become a copywriting maestro, I had this bright idea — to finish the book ‘Cashvertising’ by Drew Whitman.

Picture this: My phone screen set to night mode, the PDF of the book dancing gracefully under my fingertips when my thumb, in a rare moment of rebellion, hovers over the screen. It lands on a section titled (How to read the book), a seemingly important yet strangely lighthearted topic. My eyes can’t resist a detour to this gem:

How to Read This Book: Advice From the Masters

Some time ago, an American reporter traveled to Tibet to interview a wise old Zen master.

When the two sat down for tea, instead of letting the Zen master do the talking, the reporter began to brag about all the things he knew about life!

The guy ranted on and on while the master poured the reporter’s tea. As he endlessly babbled, the tea quickly rose to the rim of his cup and began spilling all over the floor.

The reporter finally stopped yakking and said with surprise, “What are you doing? You can’t pour in any more! The cup is overflowing!”

“Yes,” responded the wise master. “This teacup, like your mind, is so full of ideas that there is no room for new information. You must first empty your head before any new knowledge can enter.”

The conclusion? Be open to new ideas.

And suddenly, I find myself in grayscale mode, reminiscing about that one afternoon when I stumbled upon the article “Monetize your Mind” by the philosopher Noah Weddigen — his work resonated deeply.

Here’s how your game plan should roll out — imagine a well-drawn strategy chart and admire it.

Most of us — including me, when we embark on a journey to acquire a new skill, make a common blunder: we narrow our focus so much that we lose sight of the bigger picture. We become the proverbial blindfolded archers, hitting random targets and hoping for the best.

Spoiler alert: that’s not the path to mastery.

We’re often champions of closed-mindedness, championing our own ideas while scoffing at anything different.

News flash: if we’re not open to new ideas, we can’t expect others to be either. It’s not just hypocritical; it’s also a roadblock to our progress.

So, if you’re tired of pushing your learning cart in circles, it’s time to switch up your game plan before you become a burnt-out “giving-it-my-all-and-getting-no-response” case.

P.S. — Shoutout to Noah Weddigen for shining a light on my path. Your article was an eye opener!