Learning is essential to improvements in our daily lives, especially when someone says or does something that you feel is a concern. Instead of blaming the individuals, conditions, or other factors. You should acknowledge your emotions and feelings, and realize you have a choice in how you respond. Your response should be in direct connection to your identity and culture. Sometimes I get sad or angry, but it cannot guide my reaction to someone or a situation. I have to be intentional about my response. Sometimes I let my emotions and feelings guide my response and I have to remind myself to acknowledge my emotions or feelings, but I cannot let them control me. I must set my conditions to learn from the experience or interaction. The times that I respond according to my identity and culture, I can reflect on my values and beliefs. Has anything adjusted in my values and beliefs? Do I have a better understanding about the situation, individual, or encounter? Emotions and feelings are valid and we should honor them, but we do not have to be led by our emotions and feelings. The times when I do not respond according to my identity and culture, I need to consider where the misalignment concerning the situation, individual, or encounter may be. Both reflections have similar goals for me to become a better human being. As we continue to self-reflect, the questions may evolve. There is no script to this. We have to acknowledge who we are and work towards becoming and evolving into the best version of ourselves, this really causing us to reflect on what is in my sphere of influence.
Recently, I went to the gym and saw a trainer working with another individual. I love affirmations! The affirmation on her shirt said something about you being your own excuse. On the surface this seems harsh, but what I took from the phrase is I have control over my circumstances and I should not make excuses or allow distractions to cause me to lose focus. This means I have to regroup, recharge, revise plans, goals, and practices; however, I cannot become stagnant or complacent. As you process your response and reflection, take the time to visualize the various options you can take in the situation or encounter. If I demonstrate my anger, what does that look like? Who and what is affected? Will this get me closer to my goal or further away from my goal? If I demonstrate gentleness what does that look like? Should I consider a combination of the two? Can I be gentle as I express my anger in a respectful way? My intention is not to incite fear or adversarial feelings. It is to honor my emotions and feelings, but not let them impact my life. When I visualize it becomes tangible. When I have a vision for something, I have direction. I have a pathway to my greatness. Stay tuned for part 2 of this series. #salute2learning
Call to Action
Take some time to reflect on your thoughts about the concept of learning. What are your thoughts and reflections about learning? How have you embraced this idea of learning in every experience and interaction? Post your reflective thoughts. What are you thinking about the content in this post? Please share in the comment section below or use Twitter to share thoughts. Use the hashtag #salute2learning when you post on Twitter. Bring your reflective questions and let’s dialogue on Saturday, October 30th from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Register Here
