Education – Sam Makhoul

I love that line from Seinfeld.

When it comes to work and working I want to ask you THREE questions. The answers to these questions will determine whether you are living in the past. And please be honest with your response.

1. Are you earning instead of serving?

2. Are you earning instead of learning?

3. Are you earning instead of Enjoying?

If you answered yes to all three then yes you are living and working in the past.

Some of us view work as separate to and a negative part of life. A “must do” and a “have to do” to make money so we can be happy in our personal life. This sort of thinking is outdated and frankly twisted. It is a product of the industrial revolution where we had to toil.

In truth working is an important part of who we are. Being productive makes us feel good. In fact research shows that Working with purpose contributes to our health and wellbeing.

So change your focus. See work as serving – serving others and making a difference in society is what its all about. See work as learning – working is meant to be a place where we are constantly learning and challenging ourself. And see working as enjoying yourself – do this by having fun in the context of your work and celebrating your achievements often.

Trivia: Who said “You’re living in the past man!” to George? And in what context?

Why didn’t they tell us about these two great teachers at school?

The most successful people on earth use these two great teachers. They live by them, follow them and listen to them. Who are they? What are they?

The first great teacher is self-awareness.

Self Awareness

Learning should be an internal adventure. The problem with most school education is that we are only ever taught things that are external to us. Therefore we never develop self-awareness. And when we do not have self-awareness, it is very difficult for us to discover our talents and passions.

To have self-awareness is to know all aspects of ourselves. Especially, our thoughts and feelings. Only when we know ourselves can we know our talents. To learn about ourselves, we must learn not only what they teach us at school. We must learn about our health, love, family, friendship, work, wealth and charity. We should be learning about all these areas throughout our life. Only then can we discover the beauty inside our heart and mind. Only then can we know what hidden gems lie within.

When we consciously and consistently learn about these areas of life, we start to develop a sense of who we really are and what we really want. We start to discover our talents through that self-awareness. When we start to learn as a part of self-discovery and not obligation – we learn with intuition. We learn through creativity. When we are given the freedom to learn what we want, we start to act with responsibility and purpose. Learning becomes a part of who we are for life, and not just an obligation during our younger years. We become inquisitive and curious. Our inner genius will then present itself in a magical way.

We all have a talent that has potential for genius. Every human is born with a talent that is different to everyone else because no two humans are born the same. We are all different. We don’t look the same and we certainly do not think or feel the same. So we all must have a talent that can be applied in a unique way. How and where we apply that talent is what leads to genius. When we build self-awareness in each of the aforementioned areas of life, we give ourself the opportunity to discover that genius.

If I was in charge of all education on this Earth, I would make sure that every school curriculum taught children self-awareness from a young age. What do you think?

NEXT: Who/What is the next greatest teacher?

Tag: Education

You’re Living in the Past Man!

Two Greatest Teachers On Earth! Part 1