Are You Still Teachable?

1. Know that you can learn from anyone and everyone.  Constantly seek out what is to be learned from everyone and everything you encounter every day. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

2. Become a better listener.  Listening is the foundation of all good relationships. Ernest Hemingway wrote, "When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen."

3. Open yourself up to learning.  Recognize that you will never know everything there is to know about anything! With that comes the humility that there are other ideas and ways of doing things that could expand your own knowledge. Every situation presents learning opportunities if we're only willing to look for them.

4. You must be open to change.  Ben Franklin said, "When you're finished changing, you're finished."  We all recognize that change is a part of life, but some people fear it, dread it, fight it and curse it! Others welcome it, embrace it and learn from it. When you open yourself up to always being in a learning state-of-mind, you must also be open to letting yourself be changed. For me, travel is a great example of situations I've placed myself into from which I've learned immeasurable lessons. By seeing the viewpoints of other cultures, peoples, religions, etc., I've experienced my own understanding and tolerance expand.

5. To be teachable, you must be willing to correct.  When we learn something new, we must strive to apply it to our own lives and grow from it.  It's been said, “Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.” For us to reach our full potential in life, we must always remain teachable. Seek out education and understanding in everything you do and treasure all that the life experience offers you!