What is the greatest gift I can give myself? I’ve discovered that it’s staying in the perspective of a Learner. While I’m very human so I can easily be led away from this perspective by smaller ones that have a lot to do with my own ego satisfaction, my assignment is to continue to notice and stay aware of it, so that I can return to what my highest self, Queenie Heart, already knows is Home.
Recently I came across this list of Principles of Learning by Michael Hansen. He and I share an experience, in a world where even 6 degrees of separation is often more than necessary, of both having studied with Gail Larsen, a wonderful teacher of Spirited Speaking from Santa Fe. This list so perfectly touches upon the lessons I’ve learned (and am still learning… over and over) and each one is a powerful tool that assists me and guides me on my Journey. See what you think – how do they each show up in your experience?
1. Either I run my fears or my fears run me.
What a place to start! Actually when my fears are running me, there is no start! I’m usually stuck in a pit of some kind and it’s not very pretty. I like to envision these fears or Gremlins as all the voices and visuals that I see and hear that hold me back and dictate my suffering. For instance, one that I’m aware of looks like a skinny, tattooed skinhead who carries 2 huge Bose speakers out of which is screaming all my inadequacies, and the really bad consequences that will happen to me if I have the audacity to think I can bypass them towards something new and filled with possibility. Here my learning starts when I notice how I feel when I start listening to this creep. Once I notice that this guy is definitely not my real self, then I can remember what I truly know that will turn my attention back to the Truth. I can see that I have imprisoned myself in this depressing jail and that it will need to be me that turns the key to let myself out.
2. Humor and humility are stepping stones along the way.
Can I live without laughter and lightheartedness? Can I put down the consuming need to be right and recognize that there are other perspectives and ways of seeing life that can expand the possibilities? These are critical to living as a Learner. When I become ‘humor-less’ and entrenched in my own, outstanding point of view, I get pretty tight and contracted. I become the know-it-all who lives isolated by myself. This hard-shelled place has never been one that’s allowed any new insights to penetrate in. If I can find some humor and recognize there are other perspectives the road to move forward becomes available again.
3. Mistakes are in integral part of the learning process.
OOOO-WEEEE! This is a good one! Without this piece fully integrated, learning doesn’t stand a chance. So what are the fears that keep me from trying something new? Well there’s ‘I’ll look really stupid’ which leads to ‘If I’m stupid no one will like me’ or ‘What if they find out I’m just not good at that?’ which also leads to no one will like me … and on and on. The thing is, as Wavy Gravy said, We’re all just Bozos on the Bus – in other words, there is no Cool Bus with all the cool people on it and the other, Bozo bus with just me on it. We’re all human; we’re all in this together. So everyone makes mistakes! Ahhhh, what freedom there is in remembering that!
4. Fear is the problem, trust is the solution, courage is the way.
Now that I’m aware of how small and ego driven my fears are, I can see that getting bigger is the road to being released. This will take me to Trust. When I step into Trusting I release all the control for what happens. I recognize that there are factors that I can’t control and I will have to trust that there are forces at work in the universe that are beyond my comprehension. Not everything is as it seems. And more importantly, it’s not my job to figure it all out. Trust calls for letting go and courage is the fuel that takes me onward even when I have no idea where I’ll end up. Held in the embrace of these two qualities, I feel surrounded by something bigger and stronger than myself, something that holds my best outcome at heart.
5. When the student is ready, the teaching appears.
Notice the slight change here – not necessarily ‘teacher’, but ‘teaching’. This expands my learning to everything! My lessons can be delivered from anywhere, at any time. I am in the biggest classroom ever – My Life! While I love the mentoring of human feedback, I believe that I can also create deep relationship with everything around me. Shoveling snow, relating to my teenage daughter, choosing how I plan (or don’t plan) my self-care, every moment of life can be imbued with magic and learning, if I’m paying attention. Am I consciously choosing my thoughts, behaviors and actions or am I asleep? Rumi said, ‘The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.’ If I stay conscious, I will constantly be gifted by an abundance of learning opportunities.
6. I cannot stay where I am and move forward at the same time.
This is the moment of action where the principles all gel together. Paying attention, accepting that I’m human and will make mistakes, gathering my allies of trust, courage and humor, I take the leap. Where? Why, out of my comfort zone, of course! It’s the only way to move, to discover, to learn. Stretching myself to be bigger than I have been. To leave what I know in search of what I don’t know. Knowing that breaking open is the path Home to my authentic Self. This is that moment of letting go and flying. I must release the old in order to find what’s next.
7. Transition points are where flexibility is tested and revealed.
These are the times and places that I grow the most. And they are certainly the times that test my willingness to stretch. To be more transparent and seen. I can look back on my life and identify the major places where I lived through this kind of learning. While at the time, I may have considered them the most challenging times, they have been where my evolution took the biggest leaps. Now I see that the more I can stay flexible and dance with the process, the less suffering I need to experience. I can’t always choose what the process will be, but I always can choose how I show up. With the support and integration of these learning principles, I can embrace my Journey each step of the way.
What do you think about these Principles? How could they be a gift to you? I’d love to hear from you so email me Victoria@truelifecoach.net to share your insights or challenges.
