Habit #10: Think Like a Student

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While teaching an ethics class to Lead Workers in Fort Worth, an unexpected gift came my way. During a discussion, a participant offered a brilliant summary of the content.  I thanked him and paused to record the idea for future reference.  A teacher taking notes on his student! I was able to receive this gift because someone taught me the value of our final habit.

Habit #10: Thinking Like a Student. *

Each situation offers its own education.  The more challenging the circumstance, the greater the opportunity to grow and to learn.  Failures make great mentors if you allow them to pull up a chair and speak to you.  When things go wrong, the response makes the difference.  Think like a student.

You are not defeated.  You are educated, and your learning will be applied to future efforts.

When things go well (or even just normal) ask yourself how those things could be improved.  What is worth trying—to better the process, to improve the outcome?  Since you have changed your way of approaching failure, you have less fear when trying new things.  If ideas do not work out, you are not a failure.  You are a student learning lessons.

This habit applies to all the previous habits in the series.  You have been exposed to good habits.  Each one requires time (and perhaps failures) as you establish them.  That is OK!  You are going to think like a student—always learning.  When things go wrong, you are not defeated.  You are educated.  You are a humble and eager student, receiving all the lessons that life has to offer.

Thank you for investing your time in this series.  My hope is that these habits are gifts which will bless you and those around you.  You have received.  Give.

* Remember: a habit is what you do when given a cue.  You don’t have to think about it; it just happens.   Previous habit blogs focus on the concept of habits, Habit #1: Expressing Love, Habit #2: Questions before Answers, Habit #3: Sleep to Live, Habit #4: Single-Tasking, Habit #5: Double-Checking, Habit #6: Be Nice and Blame Mom and Habit #7 is the 30-Second Rule.   Habit #8 challenges us to make mental maps. Habit #9 is owning your choices.