“In University we are taught a lesson, then given a test. In life, we are given a test that teaches us a lesson.”
– Habeeb Akande, British-born writer of Nigerian descent
My wife may be the best gift-giver on earth. Strike that. She is, in fact, better at planning, choosing, giving and buying gifts than anyone else, living or dead.
In transformative times like we’re facing today, the greatest gift we can receive is learning — as long as we’re open to learning and hungry for knowledge.
“How do you follow a quote from a Nigerian – British author who writes about “erotic Muslim-ism” and then start the post with a reference to your wife, you dipweed?” you might be thinking…
Bear with me. No one taught us how to prepare for the COVID reality of today. Heck, no one really taught us to be prepared for much of what happens today, even in the broader scheme of things. Certainly not traditional schooling. That’s been outdated for 25 years unless you’re gonna be a doc or a CPA or an astrophysicist.
In life, as crazy, naughty Habeeb suggests, we’re given a test that teaches us a lesson.
For Christmas, Jodi Heston gave me a subscription to Master Class. Amazing.
I get to learn from Thomas Keller how to cook like The French Laundry. From Doris Kearns Goodwin on how to write like, well, like DKG! I get to learn negotiation skills from Chris Voss, who, if you’re ever taken captive by some faction of wackadoos or another, you want on the other end of the phone.
Most of us have more downtime than we had a month ago. Some of that time, we ought to shut it down, maybe to reconnect with the grumpy, bored teenagers, clean out the junk drawer or — well you get the drill.
But why not also invest in learning, while we have the time?
Life is giving us a test right now. Will we “get” the lesson? We ought to learn from this and be more ready for the next “this,” to make up for being so unready for this “this.”
Chris Voss’s negotiation skills class will pay for the subscription, halfway through. I found it validates 80% of what I teach my Clients about negotiating, and it augments with 20% extra that will make a huge difference for me, and my Clients.
Whether it was the Tumi backpack, the Zero Restriction rain-suit, the three-day surprise golf outing with my seven closest friends, Mrs. Heston has a great track record. The Master Class gift clinches the crown.
Invest the $180. Invest the time to go through the classes that matter to you. Put yourself in a position to learn a lesson and lead others into whatever comes next.
Challenging times dare the best of us to get better. When we take the challenge, the Boom Sauce is in play.
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