Some of the best learning experiences in life come from just sitting quietly and observing. We often think that education has to be formal – in a classroom or lecture theater, and that the words of wisdom need to come from some big motivational guru, author or highly learned professor. But sometimes, the real nuggets come when you are seeming to pass time, either on a bus or a long haul flight, and you take the time to just listen to complete strangers. Something amazing happens when you stop being consumed by the sound of your own voice or the superiority of your own ideas and thoughts and you just listen. Check out this nugget of a video.
We all have things we’re aspiring to and hoping for in life. Many of us have big dreams and want to scale the highest heights that can be attained. One thing I’ve found, when I’ve been deliberate about focusing on it, is that my answers are not too far away from me and out of reach. If I can learn to tap into the wisdom and experiences of others and stop trying to go it alone and reinvent the wheel, I may just get to where I’m going faster and less painfully. You see, as people, though we are vastly different in many ways, there are things that bind us together. We share certain aspirations, dreams, fears and questions. I’ve heard some people call this ‘the human experience’. Many times, when we go through difficulties or when we have particular questions burning inside of us, we are prone to thinking that we are the only ones who have gone through or are currently going through whatever it is. But all around us, we have a vast planet of fellow humans among whom there may be one person or a few people somewhere who have experienced the very thing we need help with.
What then stops us from reaching out to others and asking the questions we need to ask in order to propel us? It could be fear or uncertainty. Sometimes, it’s something far worse: pride. That pride may not be apparent but it lurks and all it will ever achieve is one of two things – either it will completely stop us from attaining our dreams or, if not that, it will delay us getting to our destination by months, years or even decades. That’s tragic.
Don’t be so proud as to believe that you are going through things that are new to humanity. Nothing is new under the sun. Everything you need is around you. The quicker you discover that for yourself, the better and the more time and energy it will save you. The answers you need aren’t far away if you choose to open up your senses and listen. Mind you, listening can take many forms. You needn’t make the same mistakes that have been made before or take ages achieving things that took long to achieve in the past.
As you reflect on your life, the most important thing you can know is that God loves you immeasurably. Those who have called on Him in the past, though they have not always understood His ways, have come to know that He is faithful. If you’d like to know more about pursuing a relationship with Him, please click on the banner below.