Over the summer I was on a flight with my family, and my sister’s family, heading back to Houston with them.
Ever mindful of hydration, I flipped the lid on my water bottle - and was promptly and thoroughly drenched by a plume of water! I shrieked. Several rows away my nephew said “that’s Aunty Caz!”.
Never again. Lesson learned the hard way :-)
It got me reflecting on what else I’ve learned the hard way. Here are a few that came to mind straight away:
1. When I feel overwhelmed, it’s time to simplify
2. Pay attention to what my body is telling me (or it will shout)
3. It’s important to say no to things that don’t feel right anymore
4. Feedback is a personal perspective, not a judgement
5. Sometimes all you need to do is listen
6. Marathons are not my friend (it took 5 to learn this one)
7. Volunteers, not recruits
8. If you don’t like it, do what you can to change it
9. Always have the conversation. No one is a mind reader.
10. You absolutely can’t please everyone (and it’s OK not to)
Of course, the tricky thing is not just to learn the lesson, but remember the lesson. Otherwise, we keep having to relearn it - over and over again…
I’m not likely to make the same mistake with my water bottle now, but I know that the others may well keep coming back to haunt me – and often do.
So how to keep the learning present?
In coaching there’s a useful too we use called ‘structures’ – things that intervene in everyday life to remind us of what we want to remember. Different types of structure appeal to different people, or work for different situations. They can be visual, tactile, auditory – for example a song, an item of clothing, an object, a calendar reminder…
I keep my lessons visible in a way that works for me – among other things I have various post it’s dotted around, and also a necklace that I wear to remind me that it’s OK to be the exception to the rule.
They all help me remember what I already know, but forget sometimes when life gets in the way!
What have you learned the hard way?
And how can you remember the lesson you learned so you don’t have to learn it again?
Wishing you all a great week,
