Lifelong learning
I am a learner. I learn EVERY single day. I think when we stop learning we stop living.
This doesn’t mean I am an academic. I am also not suggesting that we need to be in school forever. Traditional school and formal lessons are important, but I believe that life is one of the greatest teachers. I think, outside of school, we learn constantly from three things:
1. From our mistakes.
Everyone makes mistakes; it would be small-minded to think you can’t make one. We learn more from screwing up than we do from anything else. When you think (or you know) you have failed, take some time to think. What did I learn? What will I do differently next time? How can I make better decisions in the future.
2. From reading, listening, and discovering.
I once read that by opening your world to new experiences and people like
speakers, you can challenge yourself to learn a new way of thinking. It may change your perspective. Listen to
podcasts, read great books that interest you, and discover
successful people who have done cool things.
3. Learn from each other. We often think we know everything about the people in our lives. The reality is we don’t. Take time to talk and listen. Empathy is a real thing. I was inspired by a quote I read this morning from
Seth Godin:
“You can’t possibly know what it’s like to be someone else, but it’s also true that no one knows what it’s like to be you.
One more reason to put in the effort to find the good.”
So keep learning, listening, and try to further your knowledge and wisdom. In light of the anger and division we see so much of lately, maybe it’s time to try expanding our hearts and minds. Maybe then we will realize we are all citizens of the same planet. Maybe we can all start to be a HUMAN BEING kind.
In leadership and gratitude,
