11 Comments

Pretty great article.

Definitely can attest to the universe giving you extra challenges when you say you want to teach something.

They say 'you teach what it is you most want to learn'. Thus...chicken or the egg?

There is ofcourse the argument for only teaching that which you already deeply understand.

I can say that the more i can make future growth joyful, the better. I have got a PhD on growth through suffering. I hope my next one is aligned with a different ethos. ;)

*side note...that's one of my favorite Jim Rohm quotes.

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Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Ramon! It's so valuable to hear from others who are on the same path and compare notes/experiences.

It's reassuring to hear that the whole "extra challenge" thing has also been your experience. And I so agree, it definitely is a "chicken or egg" thing (because we tend to feel drawn to areas that we want to learn more about).

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I started seeing growth more like muscle development. Fitness is something I enjoy so it gives me a positive association with growth. But the idea of developing strength and improving my mobility is challenge that I appreciate given my history with injuries. Part of the growth includes rest and rehabilitation. I could go on and on. But hopefully this analogy helps. Though I do understand the moments when the weights are too heavy and the days when the body doesn't cooperate to even move the weight that I know I can lift.

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So true! The fitness analogy is great, Johanna. I find that pushing very quickly outside of our comfort zone means we need longer to recover and integrate the changes.

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I've noticed that fear and excitement do feel similar. I challenged myself to substitute the word "fear" with the word "excited" and it's changing my perception. PS- I choose joy. I think we've been sold a bill of goods that work has to be nasty.

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Oh, I'm so glad that approach is working well for you, Ilona! Thanks for sharing about your experience with this.

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I liked this piece very much, but the part about the challenges that arise from teaching something really resonates with me. I’ve spent most of my professional life teaching—from preschoolers to elementary school to college students and even faculty. And every time it’s been the same: As soon as I set out to teach something, no matter how much I’ve experienced or known about a another subject, I immediately recognize the limits of my expertise.

At first I thought this was just anxiety. Then I felt like a failure sometimes. And then I realized the truth: No one knows everything about a subject. And when I accepted that truth, teaching became a wonderful opportunity for me to expand my knowledge about what I was trying to teach. I’ve never taught a class at any level without learning something about the subject, myself, and the endless variety of students.

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I can so relate, Miguel! Especially nowadays (when knowledge is becoming increasingly specialized), it's just impossible to know everything about a subject. When I was teaching, I embraced the 3 magic words "I don't know" followed by "let me get back to you on that." Definitely helped me feel better about the prospect of someone asking me something I have no clue about.

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In fact, it’s the acceptance of not knowing it all, that makes teaching so fascinating. And when the students see that I don’t have all the answers, it helps them understand the true nature of learning: that it never ends. Heaven forbid that I ever find all the answers—or even worse, that I *think* I have. If I ever get that delusional, I’ll know it’s time to give it up.

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"Over the years, I’ve noticed a pattern: whenever I committed to a particular niche (as a coach, course creator, or writer) challenges arose that directly related to that niche."

YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN, LOUISE! I feel this pain. This is why I'm never going to be a "happiness coach" or anything like that. 😆

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Hahaha! That cracked me up, Tom. Maybe we should all start to write about how to make oneself miserable. 😆

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