Getting something from your day today...


The opening verse of Proverbs 12 packs quite a punch....

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, and he who hates correction is stupid."

Whoa! Step back from that for a minute, and ask yourself if you love correction, or hate correction...these are strong words.

There is good news however, because even though we might think of the word "discipline" as being only punitive, the truth is, the root of the word discipline is disciple, and the word disciple means student.

When we read the verse with this understanding in mind, it sounds more like this:

"Whoever loves to learn loves knowledge, and whoever hates to learn is stupid."

It becomes somewhat self-evident, doesn't it? But the question is, do you love to learn? Are you really a student of what life has to teach you?

I wrote several weeks ago about Jim Rohn, and his teachings on the development of a life philosophy. The very first component of a life philosophy is what you know. The person who does not take time to learn everything they can learn is hampered in having a solid life philosophy, because they simply don't know very much.

Here's an idea for learning as much as you can today, for being a true student of what life has to teach you:

Rather than simply getting through the day today, make a decision to get "from the day", everything you can possibly get from it -- learn from every conversation, and every encounter, and from every opportunity to grow and learn that comes across your path.

I'll make the same commitment, and perhaps we'll all feel good tonight for having learned new things, and for having allowed our experiences today to make us better people tomorrow.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Contemplative Politics

Image
I began writing this blog 2 1/2 years ago...what can only be described as several lifetimes ago, from the perspective of the events that have transpired in my life since May of 2010.   I won't take the time to recount those events, but suffice to say, I never imagined that I would use this space to contemplate politics, or the place that our political perspectives may take on the path of our individual spiritual journeys... To rightly share my story, I must go back in time to January of 2008, when I, like many Americans, first heard then-candidate Senator Barack Obama speak after his groundbreaking win in the Iowa caucus.  I remember the experience quite vividly, because I was mesmorized by the ideal he seemed to represent.  As I sat in a theater this afternoon watching the Dinesh D'Souza political documentary "2016", I was struck by the fact that much of our political consciousness is defined by what each of us projects upon the candidate of our choice. You mi
Read more

Strip down, start running...and never quit!

Image
I've made a commitment to participate in a 1/2 marathon on March 27th, 2011. To be precise, the event is the Rock 'n'Roll Dallas 1/2 Marathon, and we are raising money for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Foundation. You might have noticed that I've made a commitment to participate , rather than to run , and there is a reason for the distinction. I'm using a training system for first-time 1/2 marathoners, and the process requires that you run 1/2 and walk 1/2 of the race...interestingly, the most challenging part of following this system is that I don't feel like I'm doing enough . Do you ever feel that way? Like you're not doing enough? At work, at home...in school...with your friends, for your family? I think it's a common experience, and it can wear you down, if you let it. As I've mentioned before, running has become an enormously helpful metaphor for how I understand life. I said in another blog this morning that my new life philosophy i
Read more

If it's Saturday, then it's a "TO DO" List...

Image
Last night I sat down for my evening reading and journaling...I had missed Thursday night, and realized how much I missed the rhythm of the daily ritual. It felt good to collect my thoughts, read my daily Proverb(s), and plan my weekend. So when I awoke this morning, I was the proud owner of a 15-item "TO DO" list. A track, if you will, to keep the train of my life on course this weekend. Not just any "TO DO" list, mind you, my list contains exotic items like: do laundry, water the plants, pay the bills, load the dishwasher, take out the trash, and clean the bathrooms. Clearly, I am living the life of the rich and famous! In all seriousness, the presence of a list is both helpful and comforting...helpful because it gives me a tool to know where I need to focus my energy, and comforting because it removes the random nature of what a weekend can sometimes become when we have dozens of things to do, and no plan to do them. I have a direction in my efforts - I am lookin
Read more