My first job out of college was at Weyerhaeuser. I caught the crest of the tech boom and was out-earning my college profs right out of the gate. I don't know how long it was until review-and-raise time; probably less than a year because I was a new hire. But they gave me, like, a 15% raise. I remember my boss looking expectantly at me. From the feeling on my face I guess I was looking blankly back. You see, it was my first job and I had no basis for comparison. I had no idea that a 15% raise was incredible, astronomical. So my boss didn't get the reaction he deserved from me. I know now, but didn't then. Life is loaded with these things and it's pretty hard to take any preventive action, because the heart of the problem is that you are not aware of the true significance of the thing you are experiencing, since it is a new thing.

I guess one aspect of wisdom is steadily learning to discount your own preconceptions and learning to place more weight on things people tell you, even if they don't immediately seem right or make sense. I'm such a smart-ass that I have been very slow to give the proper credence to things I hear, relative to things I "know."

I'll drop a tactical nuclear example right in your lap. One Sunday you blew through a song way too fast to sing well. Afterwards I told you that it had been played too fast. You immediately, without skipping a beat, told me I was wrong. Gee. I was the one doing the singing, not you. But you didn't even take time to consider what I said before disagreeing. Apparently you knew you were right, without even thinking about the issue. I'll just tell you, based on my personal experience, that learning to counteract this tendency is going to be very expensive, and involve a lot of damage en route. But if I can make you aware of it maybe you can get an earlier start than I did.