Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Our greatest asset...

winding road
Last week, a friend commented on the fact that I am always trying something new.  Learning something, doing something, exploring - that's just my way.  He said that he wonders about a lot of things, but just never tries them because he doesn't know if he'll like them or if he will be good at them.  He also intimated that, to him, "learning" = "traditional classroom setting."   We talked about this a bit more, and I encouraged him to engage his curiosities.  I told him to look at the world as one big classroom, and to know that there are as many nuances to the learning process as there are people in the world.

Since then, I've been thinking about that conversation, and the many times that I've had other conversations that followed along the same lines.

I've been thinking about the ways that we limit ourselves, and then complain about being limited.

People do extraordinary things every day.  People are successful at things every single day.

Why can't "those people" be you and me?

I am fortunate to have grown up at the feet of elders who encouraged me to try things, told me I was smart (I really just wanted to be 'cute' at the time), fortified me with their wisdom, and gave me a safe place to land if (when) I fell on my behind.  These experiences helped me to become an adult who knows that fear and failure are both normal, and that I may fall down by accident, but if I stay down, it is a choice.

I realize that not everyone had that upbringing.  But the great thing about being an adult is that you can "rise above your raisin'" and that you are no longer subject to the rules and notions that were taught to you when you had no choice.  I learned a number of things in my childhood that aren't relevant or useful to my life today.  As with all things, keep what serves you, and let go of what doesn't.

I firmly believe that our greatest asset is our ability to think independently.

So, if you find yourself someplace that you don't like...
Or if you are bored...
Or stuck...

Take a class, join a club, go someplace new, strike up a conversation with a stranger (if you're an introvert), go have a meal or to a movie alone (if you're an extrovert).

Those are just a few things - and with a little effort, all of them can be done even if you have physical or financial challenges.

The power (and responsibility) to enrich and define our lives belongs to us.

Follow your curiosities down the road.  No, you don't know where you will end up, but, life being what it is, you don't know where you'll end up anyway.

Might as well make an adventure of it. ;)

--Nicole

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