Everyone is a Teacher

Think back to the last time you had a frustrating encounter with someone. Perhaps a friend or a family member. Replay the situation in your mind, with as much detail as possible. How do you feel? Frustrated again? Likely.

Now, if you were to re-frame that scenario, asking the question, “what is this person trying to teach me?”, what would be the outcome? Try it. Ask that question aloud. “What is this person trying to teach me?” “What can I learn from this situation?”

Now, before we move forward, let me be clear. If the person in this example is treating you poorly, I am NOT suggesting you continue to let yourself be treated poorly. In fact, perhaps that is the reason they are currently in your life, to teach you that sometimes, we need to distance ourselves from people who are not treating us the way we deserve. And, by the way, you deserve to be treated with kindness and respect, in case there was any doubt about that.

We can learn from every situation and every being that comes into our life if only we are open to it. And in fact, the most challenging situations can teach us the greatest lessons. The question is, how do you confront those challenging situations? With a lot of “why me”? Well, I’ll ask, why not you? We are all dealt crappy hands at times. All of us. And if you haven’t had your crappy cards yet, just wait. Life does that, doesn’t it?

We’ve perhaps heard the saying “we’re only given what we can handle”, and to be perfectly honest, I have often felt like this is a load of crap. There have been times in my life over the last three years that I have questioned this aloud. Wondering how I am going to get through what is in front of me. Coaching has helped me through, helping me develop difference-makers like the following:

Keeping the mindset of “we’re only given what we can handle”, AND pairing that with the idea that I am supposed to learn from the challenge presented. The idea that I can LEARN new skills and abilities to handle what has been given to me is key. We can all rise to the challenge in front of us. I know you might think you’re already in your “highest functioning gear” at the moment. You’re not. You have more gears available to help you rise, you just don’t know it yet.

Don’t believe me? Let me ask you, have you been through challenging times in your life? And did you get through? How? What did you learn? How did you grow? You see, at the beginning of those hard times, did you think you could do it? But you did do it. You learned, you grew and I hope you are flourishing.

Everyone and every challenge is a teacher. But the question is, are you willing to learn?

Be well friends, and reach out if you need to create the mindset to help you move forward.

Deanna