Lifelong learning is becoming a reality for more and more people and can lead to a rich life. What we think less about, but what is given to us for free, is learning from the environment. Not always easy, but if you are open to learning, it will be enormously enriching. How can you make this situation optimal?
Area
It is important for several reasons that you are surrounded by people who are not the same as you are. On the one hand to complement each other in order to achieve more (whether this is from the work sphere or from the private sphere) and on the other hand because of the personal learning process. There are a few things that are essential, namely:
- Be open to what comes your way and don’t be afraid (of the future).
- Enjoy the now, but keep dreaming and setting goals.
- Feel what new situations do to you.
- Use your EQ optimally in every situation.
- Don’t make assumptions, but remain inquisitive (ask).
Create the ideal situation for learning within your own capabilities and the fact that one person is a sponge and can absorb everything continuously and the other has to ruminate more and needs more time for the learning process is not relevant. As long as you do not close yourself off to your environment, the situations that arise and the people who play a role in them.
Working environment
It is not always easy, but your learning process will be much more pronounced if you do not use the salary as a guideline, but what you really enjoy doing. After all, work is a large part of life and you absorb more and better if you feel comfortable with the work you do. It should not matter to you that you may have to live with less money and/or status. Make sure you do this, because if you can’t let go of this properly, it could frustrate you. In that case, it is good to think about what makes that money and status so important.
With every job there are periods when it is less fun. You can choose to wallow in the situation, but you can also choose to experience the situation as educational. How something should not be done is of course also a great learning experience within the working environment.
If you use your EQ you can achieve more than if you focus purely on content. Absorb how people react to you when you use your EQ. You might be surprised how people respond to your social skills.
Happy
Being happy is a kind of container concept and cannot be easily encompassed. Being happy is different for everyone, but you can identify for yourself what makes you happy. It is important that you live in the now and not only focus on the future.
It is not immediately for everyone, but some people can say I am happy now and immediately experience it that way. Many people need a little more time for this mindset and that in itself is not a problem, but by focusing on the beautiful things in life, you take important steps in this direction. It is evident that everyone also experiences bad periods, but do not let yourself be distracted by these bad periods. But undergoing them and then focusing again on what you do have is important to ultimately create that feeling of happiness permanently.
This mindset also means that you do not get stuck in what you do not have or cannot do, but give it a twist if you have to do something that you experience as difficult. Do what is in your power and take the next step. You can stimulate visiting someone you have difficulty conversing with by thinking in advance what you are going to talk about and if remembering a speech is difficult, write it out in advance.
Experience happiness even in the little things. What do you already have to enjoy, a nice cup of coffee with a home-baked cookie, a short moment with a loved one or dear friend in a busy life or a cat stretching out wonderfully relaxed on the warm windowsill? You just have to see it and accept it.
All ages count
If you have small children and they do things that are unacceptable, look for the moment when you can teach discipline without hitting. Never disrupt a bond of trust with children, try to put yourself in their shoes (watch what they do and say) and then act from your role as a parent. Then look at your own learning process and how children respond to you as a parent.
Living a busy life with a busy job to give your children everything you think they should have can come at the expense of time together. Children grow up quickly and children are like sponges at this age and absorb everything. The most important thing is the time you spend and what you can teach them. This is directly offset by what you as a parent can learn from your child. Does this outweigh less time for your child and a little more money? Fill it out yourself.
Worrying about the fact that you are getting older is wasted energy, it is the process of life and so you better enjoy the changes and the new possibilities that they bring. For example, think about the enormous wisdom you have, versus the age you just left school. Surround yourself with people of different ages and experience firsthand that every different age brings something new, fun and challenging.
Finally
There are plenty of opportunities to implement life’s learning process from your environment, as well as from people and situations. It can enrich you and it makes life more fun, even when things are not going well. You just have to do it for a while.