Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn (VI)

Hello, everybody! Since I was busy celebrating the Fourth of July last Friday, I am posting my reflection on the eleventh and twelfth chapters from John C. Maxwell's Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn today. This week, we are looking at change, the price of learning, and maturity, the value of learning.

Quote of the week: "One of life's important questions is 'Who am I?' But even more important is 'Who am I becoming?'" (John Maxwell).

I had to appreciate Maxwell's chapter on change because I discussed it a bit on last week's post on dealing with stress (funny how a lot of things can tie in together). Change comes in different forms, but as I read through his words, I thought a lot about change of heart and attitude.

There is a quotation by Charles R. Swindoll that says, "We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude."

This is one major theme that comes up in philosophy. I actually wrote on change of attitude a while ago in the post "Finding the Good in Every Day." Change is a difficult subject to write about because it is often triggered by something, and it is also often unexpected. So, how do we conscientiously change ourselves to become better people?

Well, a lot of this comes with everything we have been talking about so far in the series. It's about being open-minded and aware, embracing your life (whether you're in a good part or bad), accepting that you're not perfect, and resolving to grow stronger with every step you take. It's about looking for feedback. What could you do to be a better friend, co-worker, student, boss, sister, parent? It's never losing sight of hope, and remembering that although your situations may be bleak, you still have the choice to keep going--to keep pursuing happiness, love, and joy.

I often associate a positive change in attitude with finding peace in one's heart. For me, a person who has found peace carries a sense of dignity in his or herself. S/he accepts both the good and the bad with grace and esteem, like a warrior who is prepared for anything and everything at all times.

Maxwell focuses on change in the more general sense. What changes must we make in our lives? Change yourself; change your attitude; change your nongrowing friends; determine to live differently than average people; and unlearn what you know so you can learn what you don't know (189-194). Basically, be in an environment that fosters growth, innovation, and sincere desire to make the world a better place. It all starts in your own heart.

As change occurs, maturity is reached. Maxwell says to keep in mind the following truths if you long to gain the true value of learning (199-208):

1. Maturity is the result of finding the benefit in the loss.
2. Maturity is the result of learning to feed the right emotions. I personally think about my high school Geography teacher whenever this idea comes up. I was pretty shy my freshman year, and before I had to present to the class, she told me not to let it get in my way. Even if you're having a bad day, you just need to put on a smile, and sometimes force yourself to be positive and do the right thing. Even if it meant faking it for the time being, these actions would come to define character. Sometimes, you need to work backwards to find happiness.
3. Maturity is the result of learning to develop good habits. What are some of the habits you've established to reach your goals?
4. Maturity is the result of learning to sacrifice today to succeed tomorrow. (Sacrifice is a pretty scary word for us these days, but it's a must. I'll discuss this in a future post!)
5. Maturity is the result of learning to earn respect for yourself and others. (I'm also planning to discuss this in the future, so stay tuned!)

So look at yourself, and compare who you are now to the model of maturity. What are you going to change today?

Smile on,

-Riley XO

P.S.

Thank you for reading! The last post for the series Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn will be out on Friday at the usual time. Please don't forget to comment and subscribe! I look forward to seeing you again and have a great day!