Are You Learning and Teaching Enough?

Learning is a big part of getting unstuck.

It’s only when I consciously made time to learn things for me and not for my job that I started seeing infinite potential outside of the regular day-to-day.

At the time, my chosen learning was on personal development, which led to (amongst other things) my coaching focus. Now, though I love coaching, I’m in an AI phase. I clearly haven’t forgotten my roots...and it seems my blood runs on tech. 

Regardless of what I'm choosing to focus on though, the bottom line is that it's the learning that helps to keep me moving forward.

This had me reflecting on teaching, teachers and the life-changing impact of both.

A primary example is my high school biology teacher, who I'm still in touch with. Mostly it's birthday messages and occasional check-ins, but sometimes when another friend is in town from the UK, I take them out or I have them over. It's always an experience because, 30 years later, he still gives me a hard time about basically everything. I get grilled about career, love life, my brother, my home, life choices and anything else he can think of. He never stops teaching (aka giving me his strong opinions about anything and everything). It comes across as gruff and grumpy, but I've caught on to him.

He is actually incredibly proud and, each time I see him, he tells me about how he tells his circles about me - how I was in the class that wrote the first non-racial provincial examination in South Africa (way WAY back) and how a couple of us knocked it out of the park despite our disadvantaged backgrounds. Every time he sees me, he builds on that narrative and uses my story as one of hope and possibility. As grouchy as he is, he's also the living embodiment of tough love, and dedication to making a better world for the next generation.

We all need that someone in our lives. How amazing would it be if we could all be that person for someone else - teaching, being proud of their achievements, cheering them on, helping them learn more and do more, helping them reach their potential.

No, you are not too busy. Yes, you probably can make time. 

You could change a life, most likely your own.