Got A Teacher?

When I was young, the only teachers I had were at school. When it came to matters that were more personal, I was on my own. I did my best to be the person of character that I believed I could be, but I fell short--knowing only to pout when I failed, cheat to make up for lost money, retaliate when I was hurt, and ignore my symptoms when I was sick. I walked through life somewhat blindly, searching for a way out of my circumstances, using the small set of tools that I'd learned to survive in a seemingly hostile world.

No matter how bad I felt inside, I resisted asking for help from someone who could teach me better ways. I was afraid I might be told I needed to change. I couldn't bear that pain of being corrected.

Eventually, I got curious about reading books and listening to people who were making more stable decisions in unstable circumstances. I didn't know it then, but what I had done was accept teachers. This step marked a major turnaround for me.

The small successes I found through the example of these "teachers" encouraged me to be around even more influences. They challenged me further.

When I failed, they encouraged me to try again gracefully. When I lost a large investment, they suggested I see myself as abundant anyway. When I was heartbroken, they coached me to forgive and love again. When I was unfulfilled, they challenged me to stick with my commitment. And when I was very sick, they taught me the importance of listening to the illness and nurturing myself back to health.

We're surrounded with examples of people who turn their sadness and losses around to let it prosper them. We see people dedicate their lives to turning their misfortunes into fortunes, accepting the best for themselves. We don't always see what's going on beyond their success, but if we look closely, we'll see that these people had teachers. They were teachable--willing to be corrected.

Are you teachable? If you are, then you might already be surrounded with teachers. You've likely already accepted that maybe you don't have it all figured out.

When things are happening in your life that aren't serving you, ask yourself who could teach you some new skills so you can get to a better place - like a mentor, a friend, a counselor, a pastor, a personal development weekend retreat, a book, or even going back to school on the subject.

As the Buddhist says, "Try Easy." You don't have to swim around on your own trying to figure it out. That's no fun. Life is supposed to be fun. If you haven't already, do yourself a favor and get a teacher.