The First Step of Learning

I often meet people that want to learn something new, or grow in an area of their life, but they are stuck at the starting line.

I think most people struggle to learn something new, or grow in a particular area of their life, because they get stuck on Step 1.

Imagine for a moment you are in a conversation and you are sharing your understanding of a subject, and someone responds to your statement by saying, "No, that isn't correct, this is what is true..." They clearly communicate that you are wrong, and then use facts and details to affirm that you were indeed incorrect in your thinking or understanding.

How does that make you feel? How do you respond in moments like this?

All of us respond to these kind of moments differently. Some of us, would see this person as rude. Some would tell them to keep their thoughts to themselves. Some would be mortified at sharing information that was incorrect. Some would say their day would be ruined after a moment like this.

The reality is, this kind of moment perfectly outlines why so many get stuck in their learning process.

They hate being wrong.

I know that being wrong is uncomfortable, but I want you to consider changing your mind about wrong.

I want you to learn to embrace wrong.

The first step in learning, is being wrong. More specifically, accepting that you "don't know", "can't", "haven't learned", "don't understand", or "don't get it".

Being wrong is okay. In fact, I want to encourage you to embrace the power of your wrongness.

Accepting that you are wrong is the groundwork for beginning your journey of learning.

In Proverbs 18:15 it says, "An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." To learn, you first have to choose to listen to others, and embrace the reality that they may possess something you do not.

So here is my challenge to you this week. Be openly wrong. Be openly mistaken. Let someone know that you can't, or that you don't understand.

When you gain the courage to do so, and the moment of wrong comes... choose to smile.

Remember, in order to learn, you first have to understand and accept that you have room to learn.

So get out there and be wrong, make a mistake, confess your ignorance, and then get to learning.