“I don’t know…”

And yet – why can so many of us not say it?

Perhaps fearing someone will think less of you, if you don’t know.

For many, not knowing something can seem like a personal failure.

Worse still, pretending to know something you don’t, can put a lot of pressure on you.

We simply cannot know everything, and we shouldn’t pretend to.

The truth is nobody has all the answers.

Many years ago, early in my sales career, I was frequently asked questions about products, costs, how things worked etc, and I’d respond with; “𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘!”

I’d learned to use the words some years earlier as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an 18-year-old in London, where I’d constantly be asked questions that I simply didn’t know the answer to.

It didn’t signal the end of my faith, but the very beginning… as quickly I’d say; “I’m happy to find out…”

And off I’d go in personal study to find the answer to the question at hand.

So it is throughout my life…

I have found “𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘” to be a powerful and helpful phrase for many reasons:

– Admitting you don’t know something shows honesty and humility, which fosters trust.

– By acknowledging that you don’t know something, it can open a door for learning by creating space for curiosity, growth, study and learning from others.

– Saying “I don’t know” relieves pressure, gives you time to think and allows you to be more open-minded.

– In group settings it can encourage collaboration as others are more open to share their knowledge and experiences.

– It stops you from making assumptions or giving misleading information.

When it comes to matters of faith and life, I learned many important lessons as a young missionary.

I didn’t ever understand everything, I didn’t pretend to and still don’t!

Yet, when it came to those frequent moments of truth, I focused on the things I did know, rather than what I didn’t know.

In the Book of Mormon, Nephi said, “I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” – 1 Nephi 11:17

When we admit to not knowing something, it allows us to move forward in a much humbler way.

It fills our hearts and minds with a greater faith in God, through hope and prayer, that He will make up the difference.

He always does.

Perhaps it’s time we all need to start using “𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰” more often.