Who Knows?

Knowing prevents you from growing. Discover the power of not knowing in this mini podcast.

 Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

Who Knows?

Back in the 1930s, there was a radio mystery drama featuring a crime fighter known as The Shadow. Every episode opened with the same cryptic line from the announcer:

“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”

It’s a great line. Memorable. Dramatic. And it assumes that somewhere out there, someone really does know what’s going on.

Now, thousands of years before that, an ancient Chinese sage named Lao Tzu offered a very different take. He wrote:

“He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.”

What he was getting at was this: real knowing doesn’t come from a noisy, chattering mind. It comes from a quieter place.

When you put those two ideas side by side, something interesting happens. It starts to dawn on you that there might be real power in three simple words:

I don’t know.Not weakness. Power. The power of discovery.

Most of us live inside a nonstop internal monologue. That chattering mind is the ultimate know-it-all. Over time, we’ve learned to identify ourselves with that voice. That’s who we call “I.”

But if we’re being honest, that “I” is more like the eye of a Category 5 storm. It’s great at stirring things up—worry, plans, arguments, rehearsals—but it’s not especially good at producing real results.

Years ago, I set a personal goal for myself:To know less and discover more.

I hadn’t thought about it for a while. But the other day, it came back to me—not as a thought, exactly, but more like a mantra. Or what some would call a prayer.

Because everyone has a dilemma in their life right now they don’t know how to solve. A relationship. A decision. A crossroads. And when that happens, most of us do the same thing—we think harder.

The problem is, thinking harder usually just keeps the issue front and center while the solution stays just out of reach.

So here’s a different approach.

Surrender to the fact that you don’t know.

Raise the white flag. Or put yourself at the mercy of the court. As counterintuitive as it sounds, it’s one of the most freeing exercises you can do. The moment you stop trying to figure it out, your mind is relieved of a burden it was never meant to carry—and peace of mind often follows.

The phrase “I don’t know” exposes the limits of the thinking mind. And when you honestly say, “I don’t know what to do,” the scheming, plotting machinery quiets down—if only for a few moments. That pause creates space. And into that space, something new can enter.

Surrender is hard for us. We’ve been trained to fight. We celebrate effort, grit, and struggle. But we’re so busy swinging that we never stop to notice the size—or even the nature—of what we’re fighting. We congratulate ourselves for trying, and then quietly wonder why we still don’t have answers.

So do this instead:

Step away from the noise. Get as quiet as you can. And gently say the words, “I don’t know what to do. ”Notice what happens. Say it again. Let it settle. You’re not giving up—you’re making room.

I have a feeling you’ll be pleasantly, and peacefully, surprised.Or as The Grasshopper once put it:

“When you’re tired of knowing, you’ll begin growing.”

All the best,

John