“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” – Lau Tzu
The last few days have been interesting. I had several interactions with people I have known for many years which revealed that my words or actions, or even wayward comments, had caused them to think and make certain decisions. This without any intention on my part. One discovered a fulfilling hobby, another discovered a business idea, and a third, well, had a strongly negative reaction initially.
Our words and actions matter. They impact people around us even if we choose not to be aware of it. Likewise we are impacted by the words and actions of others. Think back on people in your life that have had an impact with a simple word, sentence, or silent example. Chances are that they don’t even remember it happened.
In the third example above, I was presenting a lesson on mindset and beliefs to a company a few years ago. The individual concerned rebelled against the ideas, and closed himself off to the potential learnings. He did not have time for this stuff. Some time later he made a few decisions in his life and began making some changes. Coincidentally, I got involved with the company again, and this time he actively engaged in the coaching sessions and some dramatic results followed.
We could say that he missed out on a few years of growth, but I don’t agree. He was not ready at that point. It was only when he made the decision to grow, that the teacher had any chance of assisting. In fact, it’s only when that decision is made that the teacher is even recognized.
But this has implications for all of us. If we want to grow, we need to open ourselves up to unexpected sources for growth, because the teacher can be anyone – boss, spouse, book, child, street sweeper, anybody. Because it is only when we have decided to open up, that the teacher appears. That’s when the teacher is recognized.
Speaking of decisions, I’m excited because my first book, Decision Point, is in the last rounds of editing before being published and printed. It should be available in October 2020, and is full of decisions that shape our lives.
I’ll let you know more as it unfolds……
Dieter