Have you ever seen someone in a situation where they are not content or happy where they are? Maybe it was a job that they hated, maybe it was a relationship that they gave but didn’t receive from, maybe it was simply staying home when all of their friends were off on adventures.
Okay, let’s be real, we’re talking about ourselves. I’m sure everyone has experienced this at one point or another, and it is tempting to feel as though you have gained nothing from these situations. Maybe you’re thinking of that relationship that didn’t end how you wanted it to. You spent three years investing in it and now it’s over. Did you just waste three years of your life? Have you spent time that you can never get back?
No, and yes. Yes, you will never get back the time that you spent but no you didn’t waste that time. What I have found is that there is nothing that you do not learn from. Whether intentionally or unintentionally. However, the amount and what you choose to learn is completely up to you. If you look back on that relationship and see it only as a waste of time that you want to completely forget about, great. You will probably learn to be more careful in future relationships, you may learn that you prefer to be by yourself in certain situations. Regardless, you have still learned something from it.
If you look at the relationship as something that you are thankful for and something you can learn from, the amount that you can learn is incredible. To borrow a lyric:
One taught me love
One taught me patience
And one taught me pain
Now, I’m so amazing I’ve loved and I’ve lost
But that’s not what I see
So, look what I got
Look what you taught me
And for that, I say
Thank you, next
Yes, I just quoted an Ariana Grande song.
The same attitude can be put in the business world. If you worked a year in a job that you hated, you can either have chosen to use that year to learn all that you can about the job and your performance in it, or you can pretend you are above it the whole time and spend as little effort as possible in it.
Oh, by the way, did I mention that just because you learn in everything you do, that doesn’t mean that what you learn will be good things?
Many people learn to put in as little effort as possible without getting fired (or caught). Learning to procrastinate sure helps you realize how much you can get done in a short amount of time, but are these things you learn truly helping you, or are they hurting you?
In conclusion, I believe it’s impossible to do anything without learning. The question is, will you actively seek out that learning, or will you sit back and let it slap you in the face? Every breath counts. What will you learn with yours?
(Spoiler alert: there may or may not be a direct correlation between those who love their job and those who invest all they can in their job.)
((Spoiler alert #2: There may or may not be a direct correlation between those who hate their job and those who don’t put any effort in their job.))
(((Spoiler alert #3: You reap what you sow.)))