Today, as I reflected on my past week this rainy Saturday morning with my son at one of my favorite coffee shops, Coffee Vault, I felt deeply humbled. Humbled not because of personal incompetencies I discovered, but out of gratitude for the people around me. I am humbled by their graciousness and forgiveness, their ability to see the potential in me, and their willingness to invest in it. Their investment is what pushes me to show up each day ready to take on life’s challenges and opportunities.
What I love about my job is that every day is different. Sure, I have identified and established my daily, weekly, and monthly cadence of duties and responsibilities, but with each new day I am presented with new opportunities to learn and grow. I quite literally have the opportunity to put myself out there without possessing all the answers, and then find them. Every day I find myself in the role of a student. And this role, as I’ve discovered, is one I hope to never leave.
The more I have learned, thankfully, the more I have discovered I do not know. I am humbled by the vastness of what is still possible and by all there is yet to learn.
I am currently reading Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. In it he writes:
“No matter what you’ve done up to this point, you better still be a student. If you’re not still learning, you’re already dying. It is not enough only to be a student at the beginning. It is a position that one has to assume for life. Learn from everyone and everything. From the people you beat, and the people who beat you, from the people you dislike, even from your supposed enemies. At every step and every juncture in life, there is the opportunity to learn—and even if the lesson is purely remedial, we must not let ego block us from hearing it again. Too often, convinced of our own intelligence, we stay in a comfort zone that ensures that we never feel stupid (and are never challenged to learn or reconsider what we know). It obscures from view various weaknesses in our understanding, until eventually it’s too late to change course. This is where the silent toll is taken. Each of us faces a threat as we pursue our craft. Like sirens on the rock, ego sings a soothing, validating song—which can lead to a wreck. The second we let the ego tell us we have graduated, learning grinds to a halt. That’s why Frank Shamrock said, ‘Always stay a student.’ As in, it never ends.”
I have the best job because at the center of everything I do is the mission to support and encourage. My number one goal is to support and encourage my team. By helping make them successful, I gain so much in return. Nothing is more gratifying than knowing I made someone’s day a little better. Nothing is more powerful than giving in a way that makes others more comfortable. Clear a path for others, and you clear a path for everyone to follow.
How are you remaining a student?
Leave a Reply