Learning Agility - A Gift for a Lifetime

When we were younger, many of us dreamed of being done with our learning and getting on with our lives. We thought of learning as synonymous with schooling and, obviously, formal schooling would come to an end.

In retrospect, we were right and also wrong. Right that formal schooling did come to an end at some point. Wrong that our learning would stop (and that would be ok). In fact, our learning needs to continue – for a lifetime.

We have been and continue to live in a world of accelerating change. This has many implications for us, how we think about, and how we organize our approach to living a good life. Much of what we learned will become obsolete and irrelevant while some of what we learned will have to be updated and/or refined to continue to be relevant. We will need to become different observers and actors in the world, capable of a broader range of actions, selecting what we think is better suited to our current situation. In other words, we must become learners for life, thoughtful learners, learners who are willing to be dignified beginners along the way.

That may not be the expectation we have. Check for yourself. You may have a different picture of how it ‘should be’ and how you should be playing. Our private narrative either enables or hinders our orientation to life, its challenges and opportunities, and how we will show up. Are you satisfied with how you engage and the results you produce? If not, perhaps it’s time for a mind shift.

What’s a new point of view that you could take? What’s a perspective that includes learning and flexibility as essential, even desired and fun, components of a good life? How might that be consistent with what you value? What are the likely consequences that could go along with living life that way? Here's a small example.

I just completed coaching work with a client who had such an epiphany. A priest, he has always been of service to his parishioners and his staff. He makes time for them, hears their worries, comforts them, and nudges them in a better direction. At the same time, he noticed that he was sometimes irritable, even resentful, of the time spent with them, particularly when conversations ran long and overtook other commitments of his.

Upon reflection, he discovered that he had left himself out of the picture, never including his own wants and conditions of satisfaction in conversations with others. He seldom if ever set boundary conditions as part of setting context. While historically ‘other focused’ and committed to being there for others, he hadn’t also taken steps to ‘put his own mask on first’. Much of his felt challenge with his work could be traced to this condition.

With that new learning and realization, he began to design new conversations that also included what he wanted. This included letting others know when he needed to conclude his conversations. All of a sudden, his dissatisfaction greatly diminished and a new world of better possibilities expanded. An unexpected learning that shattered an old narrative about how to think about and do his life work. Less sacrifice and disruption, more satisfaction. Joy to the world!

Are you willing and able to pivot towards a brighter future, one where you actively participate in making lives easier and better? Get ready to be blinded by the light!

#selfleadership #designyourlife #learningagility