Also Be A Caterpiller…
"In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."– Al Rogers
I am realising that a lot of growth and fun and insight and frustration and mistakes happen when I am new to something…
It made me consider that perhaps the best way to stay fresh and creative is to learn something completely new every year? Perhaps instead of needing only to acheive mastery, we also need to achieve the opposite…
I am mindful that the people I admire most are those who have both changed careers ‘lives’ throughout their lives, and who regularly start up new things…A stray thought: I remember a tenured Professor who was concurrently embarking on a completely new area of learning telling me at a function: "I feel like I have to learn how to pee and walk by myself again, but it feels fabulous!"
The thought that is emerging: perhaps at any one point it is healthy to be in all stages of emergence…from caterpiller to a flying butterfly: Keeping us young and fresh on one side, and flying, experienced and, presumably, employed, on the other…
In the very least it helps us play easily with everpresent change!
–A though the next day: I am now wondering: what if this starting something new gives us permission we rarely take as adults – to be bad at something, to not be perfect, to make mistakes and stumble…
Photo Source - thanks HelenJr/Flickr
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November 16th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
[...] herever else you find it speaks to you. Below please enjoy a re-post I wrote a while ago: Also be a Caterpillar which I have post [...]
March 10th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
I have no idea when this was posted but nonetheless i am here now. This is some real good cool advice. I think most adults forget about learning. They usually stick to what they know. But learning new things is so rewarding when you give it a chance. It inspires you to rethink and it’s just fun! I only hope more people becoming more adventurous.
March 10th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
thanks for your thoughts matthew!! also because you took me back here to this thought (from almost 2years ago!) and now im sitting here wondering what new things i can learn today…