Do you remember when you were a child? You thought the world was your oyster. You also thought you knew everything there was to know.
I think back to growing up. I remember thinking my parents didn’t know much about life. How wrong that was.
I’d scoff at their advice. I’d think my parents were old. They didn’t know what they were talking about.
The older I got, the more I went to my parents for advice. I’d ask my dad how to fix something in the house. Or I’d ask my mom a question about some experience she had had.
Sadly, when we’re younger, we’re not as teachable as we think. Our hubris takes over.
The older we get, the more we realize that we’re not as knowledgeable as we think we are. We begin to become teachable in a new way. We know we have so much to learn.
We cannot lose this teachability. It is what will help you continue leading well into old age. But, how do we remain teachable? Read-on faithful reader to find out more!
4 Ways To Remain Teachable
1. Try something new:
If you’ve never tried something before, you have to be teachable. You’re experimenting with situations you’ve never experienced before.
Try something new today. It could be building a model airplane, flying a drone, or training for a run.
Each time you try something new, you discover there’s more to learn. Learn more!
2. Ask for feedback:
The people around us know us better than we know ourselves. Sometimes, this is hard to understand.
Still, we have to be willing to ask for feedback because they know us. Those giving us feedback see our actions, they feel the impact of our actions, and they can verbally tell you what you’re doing.
Getting feedback from others will be difficult. You’ll hear things you don’t want to hear. Feel things you don’t want to feel.
These words, though, are valuable. They help you understand your growth areas. Listen and learn.
3. Be humble:
The Bible is a wealth of knowledge. One area that the Bible hits on multiple times is the topic of teachability. Proverbs 3:7-8 tells us:
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
This verse helps us understand that we need to grow, and we need to be humble. We cannot think too highly of ourselves. We cannot let our puffed-up ego stop us from seeing that we can still grow.
Be humble. Be teachable.
4. Stop having to be right:
One thing that will stop you from being teachable is the desire always to be right. I stumble and fall in this one regularly. Just ask my wife…
Having to be right makes it hard to be teachable. You will challenge everything because you think you know it all. Our desire to be right prevents learning!
Give up your right to be right. You will have a more teachable spirit. You might even learn a thing or two.
