The older you get the more you realize that you don’t know as much as you thought you did. You start to realize that life is unpredictable, and things aren’t as simple as you might have thought. You can lay out your path but that doesn’t mean it’s going to go in the direction as you hoped, and if it does it might not be in the timeframe that you pictured. We are constantly learning and evolving every single day. I’m always seeking answers and trying to discover new tips and tricks. I’m open to learning from everyone, which brings me to today’s topic. Are you open to learning from people, or does your ego get in the way?
Many people only want to hear from a select group of people. Some people refuse to learn from people who are younger than them. They find it insulting and embarrassing. Some will refuse to learn from a certain gender or race/cultural group. To me, that’s ridiculous. You can learn from any and everyone. I’ve learned things from people who are 10 years younger than me. I’ve learned from people of different backgrounds (race, religion, orientation & etc.). It doesn’t matter. When I see people who refuse to listen to others because they assume that the person couldn’t possibly teach them something (because of one of the reasons mentioned above), I actually feel sorry for them. I feel sorry that they would rather hinder their growth out of ego, arrogance, and prejudice. I’ve seen it so much in my lifetime and it’s still unbelievable whenever I witness it.
There’s so much to learn in this lifetime, so why limit yourself? We should seek wisdom each and every day. I’m all about growth and learning and I hope that I will continue to learn from the people around me. I love hearing people’s stories and listening to what worked for them and what didn’t. You can also learn by watching people and learning from them by their example. Watch how they handle tough situations. Watch how they communicate with others. You learn a lot by observing. I like to watch and ask questions. One of my early regrets is that I didn’t start asking questions when I was 18, 19 or 20. At that age you’re not as worried about your future. You feel like you have all the time in the world, until you turn 25 and that quarter-life crisis hits (although 25 is still very young). I had a lot of access to people I could’ve learned from while I was in college, and I wish I would’ve taken the time and learn things outside of my classes (things that wouldn’t contributed to personal growth). There was so much more to learn. I did have a mentor by my last year at that university, but I wished I asked more questions and utilized that knowledge into my way of life. I can’t change the past but moving forward I will continue to learn as much as I can from as many people as I can.
JustGottaMakeIt 