When each of my sons was little, I would take their hand when we crossed the road. This is because their spatial awareness was not well developed, and they could not judge when it was safe to cross. This was also a way for me to raise awareness in my sons of the hazards of crossing the road. I would teach them to look both ways. They learnt from me how to judge how close a car was and how fast it was travelling. I was able to raise awareness in my sons about road safety by my own example.
And awareness is more than 50% of the game.
We learn awareness from those ahead of us.
Children learn from the adults or older siblings in their lives. They learn life skills. They are taught how to be safe. They develop their physical abilities – things like using cutlery, how to ride a bike, how to read and do maths.
But they also learn behavioural skills. Attending school is a good way for children to not only be educated but to develop many of the social skills needed in life. They learn when it is appropriate to speak loudly and shout, and when a smaller voice is needed. They learn how to share and take turns. These skills are learnt from others who already have them and know the value of them.
It is important for adults to continue to learn from those who are ahead of us. We do this in an educational setting when we enrol in university and college degrees. We grow and hone our skills when we undertake workplace training. But we can also grow as a person, which is why life coaching and personal development is an expanding industry or profession.
Learning about who we can raise awareness of the aspects of our decision-making and outlook that could change. We begin to appreciate that there are other ways of looking at life.
We learn from those behind us
Not only can we learn from those who have gone ahead of us on the road, but we can learn from those who are not where we are now.
There is much we can learn from those who are younger than us. These people may not have our maturity. They may not share our outlook on life. But it is important to stay open to the outlooks and opinions of those who may even be young enough to be our children. Their way of looking at life adds to our own.
It can be tempting to disregard the opinions and perspectives of those who are our junior in age and experience. But if we do, we are in danger of missing some vital insights and a fresh perspective that can challenge and renew our own.
Younger people can teach us skills. I grew up when there were no mobile phones or computers, let alone the internet. I am a digital migrant. Younger people instinctually know what to do with technology and I can go to them to learn from their expertise. They teach me new ways and methods of communicating and finding information.
We raise awareness of new ways of doing things when we stay open to those who are seemingly behind us.
We learn from those on the journey with us
The people who are on the journey with us also have much to teach us.
We watch as others struggle or make new discoveries about themselves. And as we watch them we learn about ourselves. It is always quite exciting to listen to the stories of successes and discoveries of others. Celebrating their wins brings us joy and being part of their journey helps us see new ways that we can approach our own journey.
We can also learn from the mistakes others make, raising awareness of possible pitfalls in our own lives. One of my mantras is to only make the same mistake once. Make the mistake. Learn form it. Don’t make it again. But a less painful way to learn is to use the mistakes of others as our teachers. The ways in which people respond to their own mistakes can teach us valuable lessons if we choose to look.
We can raise awareness of how to approach life by learning from the lives of others on the journey.
We can learn from the journey within ourselves
Many people approach the journey of self-discovery with trepidation.
They are afraid of the pain that is often associated with the inner journey. And pain is part of the process. But just as a surgeon inflicts pain in the process of removing disease or correcting health issues, so the journey of self-discovery is often painful. But when the surgery is over, the body heals and is often stronger than it was originally. So too, on the inner journey, the person we become in the process is often much stronger and more whole version of who we are.
The person we grow into is the person we have always been. But we just haven’t recognised the depth of who we are. Taking a journey within can raise awareness of how deep our self goes. It’s an endless journey of discovery.
The harder but better journey is the one within and it takes a life time.
If you would like a safe space in which to start the journey of self-discovery, leave your details below and I will be in touch to help you on the way.