The Courage to Say “I Don’t Know”

It can be scary to not know something — and to admit it.
We worry it makes us look dumb, like we should already know.

When we treat not knowing like an imperfection or a threat, we risk making it worse.
We fake it. We lie.
We try to look like Barbie and Ken — perfect, polished, plastic.

But pretending you know means you have to keep covering your tracks.
And one thing that feels even riskier than saying “I don’t know”?
Having to admit you lied because you didn’t have the courage to say it the first time.

Don’t put yourself in a box like those two dolls.

Covering up what you don’t know isn’t about truth — it’s about fear.
Fear of judgment. Fear of looking less-than.
We forget that sometimes there’s more to the story than we can see.

Mental fitness says you can find the courage to say, “I don’t know.”
And avoid living inside everyone else’s judgments.

Next time you don’t know — own it.
Because learning looks better than pretending.

Admitting you don’t know might lead you to learning something new.

Let’s have a conversation about mental fitness and how it can help you find the don’t knows.
Reach out to schedule a keynote, training, group session, or one-on-one coaching.