Appreciating Your Lifelong "Learning" Journey This Thanksgiving
People often say to us, “Wow, you’re lucky! You have everything you wished for.” We politely respond with a "thank you," but what we really want to say is that both "luck" and "wishes" had nothing to do with it. No one, except for us, experienced the sweat and tears that were needed to build what we have today. But as they say, every overnight success was 20 years in the making.
While many around us imply that much of what we have is something beyond our control, what is often left out is the disappointment, anger, frustration and, even more relevant, the learning needed to achieve these successes. Those who say it is out of our control and in the hands of a higher power are also those who often fear taking control of their own lives. You know, those individuals who would rather leave things to chance and claim that any outcome was not in their control. For us, this is more about playing a victim rather than being accountable.
We are not religious and certainly don’t have any faith in “fate.” We strongly believe we shape our destiny and recognize how the decisions we make today will impact our future directions...that is, however, what we like to believe.
In reality, life is never about leaving point A and traveling in a straight line to point B. Life is never a straight line; it is full of twists and turns. If you’ve been living life in a straight line, then you haven’t been living.
More often than not, your life’s journey will take you through a variety of “letters” before you ever get to point B. Fortunately, we realized early on to embrace, evaluate and adapt to these twists and turns, leading to happy, productive and successful lives. Embrace that life is never a straight line, but instead a winding one with opportunities to learn and discover new things.
Being professionally immersed in the work of "learning", our goal is to ensure that others around us learn and apply new knowledge. Regretfully, many often neglect to continually learn. When we combine these insightful realizations with our reluctant acceptance of not always being able to control our destinies, we discover one certainty: we should continue to “learn” from the decisions we make and to incorporate “learning” into every aspect of our lives.
Be Thankful For Your Learning Opportunities
Learning is one thing that we should never take for granted. In the 1960s, Sonny and Cher sang about how “their love won’t pay the rent,” but times have significantly changed. Now in the 21st century, it is time to replace this baby-boomer idealism and start singing about “how without learning our lives will feel spent.” We have much to be thankful for in our professional lives. But more importantly, we are thankful for the various learning opportunities (whatever the outcome) within our personal lives. We are especially thankful for having the conscious realization to learn from our personal choices, which allow us to lead more fulfilling lives, no matter what life throws at us.
How about you? How has learning impacted your life? It is Thanksgiving (US), and we want to hear about your professional and life learning experiences. While reflecting on your learning journey, think about these Beatles song lyrics, "The long and winding road that leads to your door…don’t keep me waiting here…lead me to your door.” Lead us to your "learning door," share with us the "letters" you passed through before getting to "point B."
It is in these peaceful and reflective moments (and we do not get many) that we must reflect and take stock of who we are not just for ourselves, but also for those around us. Be the example for others, and set an example for your loved ones.
Give thanks to yourself with the gift of learning.
Please check out our LinkedIn Learning courses to learn more about developing your business credibility for your learning efforts. Please share your thoughts, and remember #alwaysbelearning!
On this Thanksgiving, thank you for reading our article.
