Space to grow – Lifelong Learning

Today in rehab I was falling over the place. It was exhausting, and I would say embarrassing too but thankfully not many people were there to witness the debacle. The ones who were there probably didn’t even notice or care! But through it all I realised these many blunders would take me to a higher level of proficiency in sport and life once I figured it out. This was my opportunity to fail, learn, adapt and grow.

You see, stagnation occurs when we don’t provide ourselves with enough space to grow. And stagnation sucks!

Have you ever grown a pot plant? Often after a while the plant outgrows its home and needs to be repotted in a larger pot. Others grow so large they need to be transferred outside into the garden to be able to thrive and reach its highest heights.

Humans are the same.

You can’t live in the same pot you were in four or five years ago, or even last year.

What about when children learn to write these days? It’s not enough for them to simply be able to read a book and write a letter, some poetry and a book review. If it was, their learning would stop somewhere in primary school or early secondary depending upon their level of competency. That’s why children are encouraged to attend college or sixth-form, and then advance to an apprenticeship or university. Even university undergraduate diplomas are not enough for some. Learning never stops, whether you are in formal education or not. And with every extra piece of knowledge learned and applied, you grow in wisdom and your level of mastery increases.

That’s my revelation for today. I was so ecstatic with my single leg hurdle hops last week because it was the first time since my surgery that I’ve been able to do that with my right leg.

This week I discovered the next step that would take me out of my plant pot and into the garden soil…

Hops in the sand with and without hurdles.

Boy do I have a way to go to master this. And it will still take a lot of practice to be great at hops on solid ground too. But either way, I’m pushing myself to make it happen because I can’t wait to grow bigger and better.

What’s the next step you need to take to grow into your best self this 2017? Write it down and get proactive. And let me know how your journey to new soil goes!

Update: I originally wrote this in the first week of January. Since this time, ‘The Economist’ published their magazine for the 14th Jan-21st Jan with the title ‘Lifelong Learning’, seemingly covering the same topic with a different angle. I’m yet to read it, but I’m certainly intrigued. You see, whether formal or informal, learning never stops 😉