Do you consider yourself as teachable? Yes? Then what have you learned lately? Smack? Perhaps a kinder way would have been to ask you to define what you mean as ‘teachable’. Or I could ask what kinds of learnings have influences you the most? Perhaps the question should be, who and what do you regard as your teachers? My point is focus not blame.
Part of my philosophy has always been, regardless of positive/negative, what have I learned as a result of what I have just experienced. It’s always the question I ask others. Focus. Learning. So…, have you done an assessment recently (within the last 6 months) of what you’ve learned recently – it should lead you in the directions of what you still need/want to learn. But it is also the basis of what you can share, what you can testify concerning how the Lord has been ‘growing you’.
Growing up, education was always a high priority. I enjoyed learning, still do, so it has been a familiar path for me. Perhaps you haven’t considered that your learning becomes a teachable lesson both for you to share and for others to review for themselves. Teachable is always at least a two pronged quality. What we’ve experienced can always become a basis to share with others – both the scrapes as well as the trophies.
My typical approach when there is any new learning, skill, ability in which I find myself involved is best accomplished in a mentored relationship. At the point I begin demonstrating my understanding of (fill in the blank) I want to know what I don’t know. I need the person that is assisting me to appropriate the new skill to help me know what I need to learn. This point helps me to not develop counterproductive behaviors before they become new habits. The end result is effectiveness and efficiency. Any new little refinements or tweaks can come after there is a thorough understanding of what it is I need to know.
Teachable is always a choice, a decision to allow ourselves to learn, to not be the one that knows everything there is to know. I’ve also observed that others who do know the particular skill do appreciate being able to teach their methods. The counterpoint to this is that after they’ve seen you perform according to how they do things, they will be more open to your suggestions. But it starts first with a willingness to be taught…
