The old saying, “everyday is a school day’, how often have you said this to someone as a joke or to show off that random bit of trivia you know. Have you ever stopped to really think about what it means?
When we are at school, we are continuously learning in an active environment, we are being tested, marked, quizzed, evaluated, all the time seeking to improve and grow our knowledge, ready to pass that test or final exam. However when we leave school or university or college, and get a job suddenly learning takes a backseat. Instead we are encouraged to push ourselves my making new connections, my improving our sales technique, or my completing that big project. But how do we reach those goals? Well by ongoing learning, of course. It may no longer be in a formal environment, but you are still absorbing information and using it to perform at a higher standard, in that aspect of life.
So, that is fine at work, but what about in the other aspects of your life? When was the last time you reflected on how much you had grown as a person in the past year, 6months, or even week? 2020 has not been easy, but it has also been a year of huge personal growth, where we have adapted to spending more time with our families, and less with our friends. A year where we have learnt how to work from home, how to find joy in clapping for carers or baking banana bread, as opposed to a big birthday party or an epic holiday. 2020 has been a year which as tested us all, and how have we prepared for that test? Well, by learning of course! We have learnt how to survive, and how to thrive. We have learnt what is important to us. We have learnt what is important to our children, our partners and our loved ones near and far. And we have learnt what it is to come together as a community even when we are physically further apart than ever. But what does that learning really mean, what are the individual things we have learnt to reach that overall learning outcome? Well that depends on you.
Everyday is a school day, and this year has been the hardest school year ever. But you have made it through, and you have grown as a person, whether that is through big learnings or small. So, take some time today to reflect on what you have learnt, and the development progress you have made, and then give yourself a gold star, because you have succeeded in one of the biggest tests of life.
Sunflower Coaching 