Life is your teacher, and when you recognise that fact it can transform the perceived challenge of living into a remarkable adventure. When you choose to adopt the perspective that life is your teacher, things that might previously have annoyed, frustrated or upset you can instead help you to learn new things about yourself and the way you view the world. If nothing else, viewing life as your teacher will highlight how your attitude is largely responsible for determining your emotional state.
Working with life as a teacher means being open to whatever each moment has to offer and then asking yourself what you can learn from the experience right in front of you. The situation you find yourself in at any given moment might not always appear to be particularly positive at first glance, but it can certainly help you develop as a spiritual being if you pay attention. Here are three steps to doing just that…
Step 1 – Accept the Moment
The first step to learning from life is to accept the moment exactly as it is. Forget how you wish it was or wasn’t, and as far as possible try to get your own emotions and desires out of the way so that you can look purely on what is. Only when you allow yourself to see your situation exactly as it is (and no worse than it is) will you be in a position to proceed to the next step.
Step 2 – Look for the Lesson
Having been brave enough to look reality square in the face, look for the lesson that you can learn. It could be something rather obvious, such as the life teaching you to be more patient through a traffic jam. Or it could be something more subtle, such as life teaching you to take more educated risks when opportunity comes your way. Whatever the lesson is – and there is always one, if not several, in any situation – be sure to acknowledge it.
Step 3 – Learn the Lesson
Having established that life is currently going out of its way to teach you to be more patient, courageous, adventurous, daring or whatever else is applicable, choose to be more cooperative by deliberately cultivating that quality. Not only will this help you to get something positive from every situation that you experience, it will also help you to progress rapidly through those especially ‘challenging’ times that exist to teach us particularly important lessons.
Remember, whether the situation you face is easy or difficult, life is your teacher. Learn the lesson you need to learn and you will then be able to move on.
