Teach it

Today’s post is part 7 of a 10 part series: “10 Ways to Conquer Your Comfort Zone.”

The best way to learn is to ______________.

At some point in your life you have most likely heard this phrase. Teaching anything is a terrific way to retain that which you have just learned. In the context of this blog series, why wouldn’t I suggest the strategy of “teach it?” It is hard enough to even consider leaving the friendly confines of your own comfort zone much less contemplate those of your fellow human beings. Hopefully by now you have learned a strategy that has worked for you and you are beginning to establish new behavioral patterns. If indeed this is the case, can you start to identify others in your social circle that could benefit from what you have learned? Could you bring yourself to think of teaching as a noble service without which the world would remain stale and boring?

One of favorite quotes of all time was one spoken by Jim Rhone is a keynote address in the mid 1970s. Rhone, in front of an enormous crowd uttered the words “the only way to keep anything in life is to give it away.” Now think about the irony of that statement. At first mention the crowd seemed a bit confused as the logic of the statement simply did not add up. Of course, the way in which you interrupt the statement has everything to do with your perception. You are either a giver or a taker and your view of the world hinges upon it. Rhone was a very generous man and just so happened to lead a small army of dedicated salespeople. His personal philosophy was to give every bit of knowledge he had ever acquired away. The way Rhone saw it, the better teacher he could become the more people he could influence. Rhone believed that if he helped enough people get what they wanted in life, he too would get what he wanted.

To wrap this up, can you identify one person in your life whom you feel would be open minded to instruction? Could you teach one of the tactics you have learned thus far in this blog series. Not only will it reinforce your own beliefs but will have a profound affect on the life of the person with whom you choose to “teach.”