I was once told that I should learn one new thing every day of my life. It didn’t have to be something big. It just needed to be something that would allow me to grow as a human being. My philosophy for learning and personal growth has always been based on that model. Instead of focusing on life-long learning, I focus on learning one new thing every day of my life. I want to make every day count.
If you look back at the last 7 blogs, what have you learned in the last seven weeks? Based on 7 days in a week and seven articles (one each week), you had an opportunity to learn 49 new things. Was there an ah-ha moment from any of the blogs? What about an ah-ha moment from someone you talked to, something that you read, something that you watched, or something that you wrote?
I am going to share a couple of my ah-ha moments from the last 7 weeks. It would be unfair to burden you with 49 so I am going to start with 7. I figure one per week.
- Some spice combinations just work. For example: Who knew that cumin, cayenne and poultry seasoning would work together?
- I now know how to replace the blower motor controller on my Toyota Rav4. Not necessarily a life skill, it is certainly a maintenance skill.
- I can repair the overflow drain for a tub. Who knew it was that easy?
- Politicians are the same the world over. I am convinced when elected they forget basic arithmetic and find a garage to park their common sense.
- This is a repeat of an old lesson. Humour counts; Monty Python was usually right.
- Wisdom is being able to learn when an opportunity presents itself.
- Literacy doesn’t equal intelligence. I will leave you to ponder that thought. We will come back to that at some point.
Some of these things are small. Some of these are bigger. All of these things taught me everything is valuable.
My Rule 7 Challenge for you:
- Using your phone, a tablet, or paper, record your one lesson-learnt at the end of each day.
- At the start of each day, review your lessons.
- At the end of the week, share those lessons with someone close to you.
- As always, celebrate.
If we don’t learn the lessons of history, especially our own personal history, we will be doomed to repeat the steps of the past. By recording your lessons, you are one step ahead of where you were the day before and a more knowledgeable person.
Have an absolutely amazing week.
Quotes of the Week
“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” – Richard Branson
“One thing is for sure, you will make mistakes. Learn to learn from them. Learn to forgive yourself. Learn to laugh when everything falls apart because, sometimes, it will.” – Vironika Tugaleva
“If there’s a single lesson that life teaches us, it’s that wishing doesn’t make it so.”
― Lev Grossman
