If you’ve ever taken the Strengths Finders test you know that it asks you a LOT of questions about your preferences in certain situations. The results at the end tell you where your strengths lie. Can anyone guess what my strengths are??? The first time I took the test I was super disappointed and all I could think was “Yep, I’m the fun sucker.” My strengths (according to the test) are discipline, focus, achiever, learner and responsibility. Four out of five of these deal with execution and the fifth is strategic thinking. Ugh…
We have all heard these three little words, “ALWAYS BE LEARNING.” I have heard that phrase for as long as I can remember, but it became even more prevalent when I finished chiropractic school. There was SO much more to learn especially when it came to the philosophy of chiropractic, and I’ve been trying to consume as much as I can ever since. (See discipline, focus, achiever, learner reference above.)
Until recently…
I feel I’m at a weird stage of life. I am done having kids, (or at least I think I am), I own a business that I love and am raising five kids. Any of those things on its own would be enough for most. I really love going to conferences and trainings, but this past year I have changed my thinking around this concept of “always be learning.”
These days, that phrase means something entirely different than what it did just a couple years ago. To me “always be learning” looks more like learning to soak up the quietness. It’s learning to not feel guilty about enjoying a book that has nothing to do with business or personal growth. It means more about learning to be present with my kids without checking the phone, learning to laugh again, learning to find out who I am and who I want to be at this stage in my life. It’s telling myself that it’s okay to not be productive all the time. To be goofy and not so serious, and to dream – dream where money and time are of no concern. Learning to love my body for what it has done and what it is still capable of doing instead of what it lacks. Learning to give myself some grace when I don’t hit my moving calorie goal two days out of a month. (I know, dumb!) Learning to take more time AWAY from the office and not feel guilty about pouring into myself, my relationships, my family.
So yes, I will always be learning, but I hope this speaks to you when I say that it’s OKAY when your learning has nothing to do with moving you towards a goal that you can figure out on paper or put an actual number to. Always be learning will continually be about getting more out of life and not about the accomplishments, accolades, or the letters behind my name.