Staying Teachable

What would I have done differently?

I'm inspired by my eldest brother all the time. Every time I see him do something different, I think to myself, "hey, that's a great idea. I should do that too." 

He started a blog. Me too. 

He wrote about what he would tell his younger self now that he is older. Me too. 

I respect him and find that much of what he writes causes me to think of my own life. 

I've decided to answer the question, "what would I have done differently in my younger years?" 

Granted, I am still very young. But old enough to look back and think about what I would have done differently when I was younger. At 23, I have realized that the more of life I live, the more I realize how much I don't know. It's funny. But true.

I have learned more in one year than I have in a span of 5 years of my younger ages. It's interesting. 

I never liked the idea of using age as power. You know, the idea of even if you are one year older than me, you know more. Or because I am 2 years older than you, I know more. That's not true necessarily. 

I believe I can learn from anyone. I am learning just as much from my 3 year old niece as I from my 21 year old husband and my 53 year old mother. 

I believe we can learn from anyone. We shouldn't use our age to determine who can influence and teach us. If we find ourselves blocking people off and placing them on limits because of their age as far as what they teach us, then we are doing a disservice for them and us. 

I never liked the idea that because she goes to school, or because he is married, or because they have this much money, or because he/she is this age determines what they know or don't know. 

Using people's age and state of life isn't something we should measure their knowledge or experience by. There are people younger than me that in some ways have more life experience than I do in one area or another. 

People that use their condition of life (married/single, older/younger, educated/uneducated) as power or reason  to determine how much they know verses how much you do, is someone who quite frankly has a lot more to learn.

Whoever you are, whether married, or unmarried, rich or poor, college degrees or just started kindergarten, you can teach me something. I want to learn from everyone. Not just from those are in my state of life or older than me. 

I want to learn from people from all walks of life. And I don't wish to use my status in life as a reason that I know more or less. We are all different and we all learn things at different stages. I am not better than you because of my age or status in life. 

I need you to teach me. 

If there is one thing I would have told my younger self, it's to be open and teachable. To know I can learn something from anyone and not just those who are like me or who are older than me. 

Finally, I would have told myself to not use my age as a reason to determine how much I know and to use that against people who are younger than me. 

Stay teachable. And be willing to learn from anyone. Even 3 year olds can teach you a thing or two about life. Even a 6 month old baby can teach you, if you want to learn. I know my little nieces have taught me.