“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” ~ Chinese Proverb
Our Best Learning
When do you learn something in the best, most effective manner? When you are doing that something, right! Even more specifically, when you’re doing something and it does not go exactly as expected, the learning meter ramps up even higher.
So think about this. Where are you with some of the aspirations you have? Are you out there, actively learning by actively doing? Are you out there, trying things out and then picking up the pieces when they don’t go as planned (and learning in even more meaningful ways)?
An Evening in April
It was a Sunday evening, and we were making a trip to our local grocery store. Cameron, my 12 year old son, and I. He loves the grocery store, and never passes up the opportunity to visit. And after years and years of these visits, he has become a really great help.
In usual fashion we make our way through the store, and then to the checkout lanes. Grocery bags in hand, we wander out to our car, and begin the drive toward home.
As we are approaching the road we live on, Cameron asks “Can I drive home?”.
This road we live on, there is so little other traffic — and especially so on a Sunday evening.
He’s asked this before, a couple of times in recent months. And he’s done so well on the very short remaining drive home. (he’s really good at driving the tractor to cut our grass!) I say “yes”.
We pull over near the side of the road and change places — Cameron in the drivers seat and I in passenger seat. Down the road we go. He has done this before, so I’m completely comfortable as he gets behind that wheel. As per any usual evening, we see no one else as we travel the short distance down this road, and we approach the driveway.
As we are entering the driveway, Cameron asks “Can I drive into the garage?”.
The right answer is “we should stop in the driveway”. Actually, the right answer is really that he shouldn’t be driving at all (it’s too late for that now, though…).
He’s doing so well. “Sure”, I say.
We are hardly moving, just slowly easing our way into the garage.
Except.
Except we are starting to get a bit close to the left hand side of the garage wall. I’m watching that, telling Cameron to straighten it out a bit.
BAM!!
We crash into the front of the garage. Snow shovels flying (isn’t it about time to pack those away!?!?). A shelf inside the house has several things flying to the floor, as my other son is in there doing homework. Lora (my wife) comes running outside.
…there Cam and I sit, a slight wave to her…
In the end, there are a couple of broken shovels and some drywall that needs repairing. Otherwise, all is good. We take some time to clean up the mess we’ve created.
In retrospect, I should probably have not had my 12 year old driving our car (I don’t suggest you try this at home!).
This experience, though, is one that’s given both Cameron and I a learning moment. A learning moment, by being out there and doing that which we really want to do ( and he definitely really wanted to drive).
The Take Away For You
What is it that you want to do, except you are not sure you fully know how to do it? Where are you holding yourself back because you don’t think you’re good enough?
See the possibility in you!
See the possibility in you, and then go out and crash…and learn…and grow.
And in all of this, move more fully into the depth of who you truly are…





















