Choose to "Live and Learn" and Really Take Advantage of Everything Around You

There is so much around us that we are able to experience and consume on an everyday basis.  We come into contact with all different types of people, we have access to all sorts of information and we move through each day having different types of experiences.

Many people will go through life and react to what is in front of them or what they are experiencing in the best way they know how and just move on to the next situation, never really looking at it as a learning experience. They will run into a person who is confrontational, respond as they see fit and then move on to the next situation, never really thinking about a personal takeaway lesson.  Or, they will come across an interesting perspective in an article, but will never really do much else with it or integrate into their thinking.

It is often believed that these things are nothing more than the ordinary occurrences of life.  People, experiences and things come in and out of life on a regular basis and you are meant to pay attention to them while they are there and then move on to the next round of things that come your way.  That is all there is to it.

But…as always, there is a different perspective…

Live and Learn: The alternaview

The alternaview is that we should actually pay attention to every single thing that comes in and out of our life and look to learn as much as we can from it.  There is a reason that something comes into our field of attention and we should really pay attention and maximize any and all opportunities to learn from it because otherwise we are missing out on an important lesson.

We are all supposed to eventually reach that place where we have the same fundamental understanding on life and those things around us.  Yes, we will have our own particular understanding and perspective, but it will be grounded in common truths. As a result, we all have a lesson plan that is perfectly customized for us and based on who we are, what we already know and what we still need to learn.  We just need to make certain we are learning it.

The information that is a part of our particular lesson plan comes to us from all different types of directions, but in order to benefit from it, we have to be aware and know that we are supposed to learn from it.  And, if we are tuned into that reality and always looking to understand and learn from those things around us, then we will really move through life absorbing all the information we were meant to. We will successfully be completing our customized lesson plan.

Believe it or not, there are lessons in life just like there are in school.  And, we are either learning the lesson, passing the test and moving on to the next lesson or…we are not processing the information like we should, which means it must be repeated and repeated until it is learned.  Have you ever noticed those people, (admittedly, perhaps even yourself), that continue to experience the same issue over and over again?  Each time it may be a little different, but when you step back and really look at it, it is the same lesson packaged in a different box.

Although it may be necessary, it is not ideal to repeat lessons over and over again.  Life just gets so much easier and really unfolds when we are learning the lessons we are supposed to and understanding what is working and what is not. We then become able to integrate the most helpful thoughts and behaviors that will allow us to get the most out of life…and that’s really what it is all about.

How to use this alternaview:

1. We have to be open to expanding our thinking in new ways that we never have. We need to be willing to absorb all different types of information and perspectives.  Perhaps we read all types of books, blogs and any other information that challenges our current thinking.  We don’t always have to agree with the new information, but we do need to be willing to challenge our ideas and beliefs so we can see where we end up.  Perhaps we had it right to begin with, but the reality is that we will not know unless we allow our ideas and beliefs to be challenged and put to the test.

2.  We need to be willing to learn from the issues and challenges that arise. It is understandable that we may need to see a lesson a couple of times before we really understand, but there is no reason why we should be unable to break out of a negative pattern. Understanding that we find ourselves in situations for a specific reason, we should continually be asking ourselves what the takeaway lesson is?  Is there something we should be learning from this experience?

3.  We need to learn from our successes. We should take notice of what is working and what is contributing to our success.  It is important to understand what we did and how we approached situations when things went right so that we can repeat these behaviors and approaches over and over again.  Developing and repeating good habits is just as important as getting rid of bad ones.

4. We need to be looking to learn from the other people around us. Everyone we come into contact with is able to teach us a lesson as long as we are interested in learning it.  It may be a lesson in patience (this lesson is often taught by tolerating difficult people) or perhaps there are things people are doing well that we should also focus on doing…the list goes on and on.  When you are open to learning from other people, there is so much you can learn as long as you are interested and paying attention.

We are supposed to learn lessons and move on to the next one, so that we can develop a toolkit filled with good habits, positive perspectives and information that will help us successfully move through life and take advantage of all it has to offer.  In order to really be able to do this, we have to be interested in learning and take notice in the right way of the people and things around us. The key is to understand that as cliché as it may sound, we really are meant to live and learn…that is the alternaview.

Do you live and learn?  Do you agree with this alternaview?