Education And Life Lessons

Growing up in my family, the importance of education was always stressed to us. Growing up financially challenged made it difficult to receive higher education as public school was the only thing available to us. Growing up hyper active and with a tendency to challenge everything that was told to me, made it difficult for those trying to teach me.

I’ve realized that while I love to learn and I love the process of studying and discovery, I am a poor sit-still, classroom student.

I believe learning throughout the entirety of your life is vital for your growth and evolution. Think about it, did we stop learning when we were 5 years old? Of course not, we’ve gained a considerable amount of knowledge since the time we were 5. So you might say to me, “Of course I have learned, I went to school.” So what about after college, did you continue to study in a classroom setting or have you been learning from your life lessons outside of the classroom?

We have been taught that a formal education is quite valuable to us while the lessons we learn from our life experiences aren’t accepted with as much understanding or held with the same value. While a formal education can help us land a job or help us succeed within our workplace, it is the lessons you learn in your life (when learned properly) that can lead you to happiness, good health, true love, and continual success.

The process isn’t easy and it takes patience, complete honesty, understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness. I have discovered much in my life from lessons both mine and not mine. Some errors in judgment I have repeated many times and after many hours of thought process have finally learned the lesson being taught to me while other lessons in my life came quite easily and I moved on swiftly. I have been guilty of stubbornness and of being my own worst critic. Through the role of being my own worst critic, I began to understand that I shouldn’t be and that everyone learns at their own pace. Each person speaks a specific language, and everyone (when they have proven they not only want to change but are putting in the effort) deserves a second chance.

There is immense value in knowledge and in knowledge of one’s self. Someone told me the other day that they were “good at this moment” and felt that they “didn’t need to learn anything else right now.” I gave them a simple bit of advice and said “Now that you are good, you should want to learn even more because life keeps moving. Since you are feeling good right now your mind is relaxed and therefore open to new knowledge. Learn more now because it might be knowledge you need that will help you at a point in your life when you’re not so good.”

The moments we are at a great place in our lives is the best time to continue learning, growing and evolving. Evolution is a beautiful thing when you are at a place of happy acceptance. The moments we are in turmoil and unhappiness is a great time to learn, grow, and evolve because it will keep you moving toward that great place.

Never turn your back on learning something new. What you learn today could help you or someone else in any of your tomorrows.

Liked this story? Find more thought-provoking stories just like this by following the Learn Grow Evolve collection!

Monica Ortiz is a successful Life Coach, Teacher, and Author. To date, she has helped more than 12,000 people create better relationships, find their dream careers, and rejuvenate their health. She has also been invited to teach workshops at places such as Stanford University and Google.

Her book Universe 101: Learn Grow Evolve, is dedicated to helping people resolve difficulties in all facets of their lives, ranging from career to relationships to health giving them the ability to find true fulfillment.