Look Again
It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
- Mark Twain
I’ve lived in Knoxville all my life. Granted, “all my life” is just twenty-eight years, but I’ve spent each and every one of them calling Knoxville my home. After living somewhere for almost three decades, you would think it’s safe to assume you know that place well, that there’s not much left to learn about it or experience. I know that’s what I assumed. But I was quickly proven wrong when I took part in Introduction Knoxville last fall.
Introduction Knoxville is an aptly named program offered by Leadership Knoxville, an organization that offers programs, workshops, and events that develop people and groups in an effort to build a better, stronger—you guessed it—Knoxville. Although I eagerly enrolled in Introduction Knoxville because it was recommended to me by a mentor, I was somewhat skeptical of what sort of impact something like this could have on a lifelong Knoxvillian like me. However, that skepticism quickly gave way to surprise and, frankly, embarrassment as I discovered over the six-week program that I had, up to that point, failed to do anything more than scratch the surface of Knoxville and what it has to offer. I had never explored the East Tennessee History Center or taken a guided tour through Downtown Knoxville and learned that you used to be able to drive through Market Square. I had never known some of my favorite local restaurants and breweries are part of a larger collective of local artists, designers, and retailers known as “The Maker City”. I had never walked through some of the more popular areas of Knoxville’s “Urban Wilderness” or the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum. What I’m saying is that there’s a lot I didn’t know and hadn’t done. And there’s still a lot…
Oftentimes, we think we know more than we do, and that just underscores the importance of maintaining a sense of curiosity in our approach to all areas of life. Curiosity leads to a more engaged life, a better life, but it’s worthless unless coupled with action. With all the demands that face us each and every day, it can be easy to neglect curiosity and settle for the known, the familiar, but what we’re ultimately doing is depriving ourselves of a deeper life. That’s why experiences like Introduction Knoxville, those that require your effort and channel your curiosity, are so important. For many, financial planning is that experience. When was the last time you evaluated your values and goals? Could they have changed since the last time you did that? It’s possible you’re not living your best financial life. Financial planning eliminates that possibility.
As Mark Twain famously said, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” Regardless of what you know or don’t know, life, just like the city in which you live, deserves another look.
Read Roch's article in West Knoxville Lifestyle here.
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