“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” – African Proverb
Let’s take a trip down memory lane, think back to a time when you learned something, something big, something difficult.
When you learned that..
- Your dad has just passed away.
- Your parents are getting a divorce.
- You didn’t get into the school you wanted.
- Your friend has been spreading gossip about you.
These are all really hard things to learn.
In my mind overcoming these things is way harder than when someone taught you how…
- How to drive
- How to do college algebra
- To write in cursive
- To properly put on a fitted sheet
The process of learning is hard, it’s unexpected, it’s almost entirely personal. It happens throughout your entire life and you have no control over it. One of the hardest things about learning is that there is little to no physical proof to show improvement. You have to remember to give yourself a pat on the back or some time to recover your mental health.
We typically think that we need some form of physical pain, an x-ray showing a broken bone, a scar, or blood. Anything to show that our pain is justified. The journey of learning and accepting something is difficult though, you cannot just slap a band-aid on it and expect a miracle to happen.
So whenever you learn something, be kind to yourself because only you can know and feel the actual pain that you are experiencing.