My family taught me the importance and value of education from a young age. However, growing up financially challenged made it difficult to receive higher education as public school was the only thing available to us. Growing up hyperactive and with a tendency to challenge all that was told to me, made it difficult for those trying to teach me.
I have realized that while I love the process of learning, studying, and discovery, I am a poor sit-still classroom student.
I believe learning throughout the entirety of our lives is vital for our growth and evolution. Think about it, did we stop learning when we were 5 years old? Of course not, we’ve gained a considerable amount of knowledge since then. In this case, you may say to me, “Of course I have learned, I went to school.” Then what about after college, did you continue studying in a classroom setting or have you been learning from your life lessons outside of formal school?
We have been taught that a formal education is extremely valuable while the lessons we learn from life experiences are not held with the same worth. Although a formal education can help us land a job or succeed within our workplace, it is the lessons you learn throughout your life (when learned properly) that lead to happiness, good health, true love, and continual success.
The process isn’t easy and it takes patience, complete honesty, understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness. I have discovered much in my life from both my own and others’ lessons. Some errors in judgment I have repeated many times and only learned the lesson after many hours of reflection while other lessons in life were understood quite easily and I moved on swiftly. For example, I have been guilty of stubbornness and of being my own worst critic. Upon reflecting on this self-criticism, I began to understand that I shouldn’t be so harsh on myself because each person learns at his or her own pace. Each individual speaks their own specific language, and everyone (when they have proven they not only want to change but are putting in the effort) deserves a second chance.
Someone previously mentioned to me that she was “good at this moment” and felt she “didn’t need to learn anything else right now.” I gave her a simple bit of advice and replied, “Now that you are good, you should want to learn even more because life continues to change. Since you are currently feeling good, your mind is relaxed and therefore open to new knowledge. Use this opportunity to learn more now because the knowledge you gain may help you at a point in your life when you’re not doing as well.”
There is immense value in knowledge of one’s self, and the moments we are at a great place in our lives are the best times to continue learning, growing, and evolving. Evolution is a beautiful thing when we are experiencing happiness and acceptance. The moments in which we are in turmoil are great times to expand our knowledge, growth, and evolution because that expansion will keep us moving towards that great place.
Never turn your back on learning something new. What you learn today could help you or someone else in any of your tomorrows.
