The Weekly Optimist Newsletter: Learning is For All Ages and From Them Too
Quotes of the Week from Me:
“Learning is for all ages, and from them too.”
“Be proactive. Trust yourself. Trust your team.”
Quotes of the Week from Someone Else:
“Make your accomplishments seem effortless.” – Robert Greene
“You must decide what to let go, and what to pursue.” – Jordan Peterson
Quick Optimism
Self-initiate. It comes naturally to some, it takes extensive practice for others. As always, there is uncertainty in choice.
Self-initiating could mean waking up to the sound of your alarm, it could also mean ignoring it for an extra hour of sleep. I played that game this morning. It could mean going for a hike or resting the next day. It is both starting tasks and ending them, moving and resting. Always contradictory. How are we supposed to decide what to let go and what to pursue, like Peterson tells us above? When do we push and when do we pump the brakes?
I can’t tell you when it makes sense to sit back and think versus jump forward and act. But when you decide to do either, consider some simple pros and cons for each that may help your process.
Pros of Immediate Action
- Experiences – Do, feel, see, try.
- Trial and error – What worked? What needs to change?
- Learning – Succeed, fail, repeat.
Cons of Immediate Action
- Lack of direction
- Random feedback
- Short-lived results
Pros of Reflection
- Observation – acquire information
- Control – maintain your current state
- Learning – leveraging information, weighing options
Cons of Reflection
- Too much information
- Speculation
- Unlived results
Full Newsletter
Learning is For All Ages, and From Them Too
If you have made it down here to the full newsletter this week, thanks for reading! If you found an extra 5 minutes this morning and would like to continue, I need to fully disclose an impending “proud Dad” moment.
Learning from all ages happened to me last week. It seems to happen to me a lot actually, at least more so than I have noticed previously. It happens at work, on social media, in everyday interactions, and at home. People are fascinating in all stages of life and I am convinced that they have a lot to offer.
Last week, I learned from my 2-year old. This time it happened after a long day, before dinner, and it truly surprised me. As life feels busier than ever, I do not remember what we ate that night, what we talked about, or why I was tired. What I do know is that my wife, Taylor, and I were tired.
In typical Taylor fashion, she made sure that we put aside enough time to cook a healthy meal. If it had been up to me I’d probably be writing about stale leftovers or takeout. I really appreciate when she keeps us motivated.
As you can tell, we try to prioritize family mealtime. There are several benefits that indicate regular family dinners can lower rates of depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders, while increasing resilience and self-esteem. Or as I like to think, mealtime brings families together. Each member of the family feels supported, engaged, and loved. And if you are lucky, you will have someone like Taylor to make sure it happens consistently.
Enough context, proud Dad moment and a great lesson to start your Monday:
As Beckett gets older and we make our own family traditions, Taylor and I decided to find a new prayer to say before dinner. It is longer than some and we have not memorized it yet but it will be worth it when we finally do. Each night, we sit down, hold hands and pray:
Dear Lord, as we sit down to this meal together, we give thanks to You and bless Your Name for this food and all of your blessings toward us, for You are good, Your loving devotion endures forever, and Your faithfulness continues from generation to generation. We thank You and Your favor toward us. We ask that our children and our children’s children will be established before You. Amen.
I still have to pull up the screenshot I took to make sure we say it right. Each night I scroll through my phone to find it and each night I discover that I have taken 50 new photos and videos of Beckett. It gets harder to find every time.
Last week, after a long day, and before dinner, I was tired and hungry. My phone (which can be a good thing) was in another room so I figured we would either skip prayer or improvise. Probably not that big of a deal. But when Taylor and I sat down to join Beckett at the table, he looked up at us and held out his hands. Our 2-year old recognized the importance of engaging with one another and the importance of consistency. He was right. Taking an extra moment to pull up the new prayer, repeat it another night, and acknowledge our thanks is necessary. It is necessary regardless of religion. It applies to all gatherings regardless of family status. Friends and family need to take a moment to connect with each other and with things bigger than themselves.
As we start another week, remember that you can learn at any age and from any age. What would you like to learn about? Who can you learn from?
Make it an incredible Monday.