Seek the education you can’t buy

As another year comes to an end, and you’re thinking about what could be ahead in the new year…

Making your list of goals, developing your vision, planning, dreaming, plotting…

Consider adding this one to the list:

Seek the education you can’t buy.

What do I mean by that? 

What does that even look like?

Here are some ideas:

1. Embrace failure as a teacher

 • Turns out mistakes are portals to success. The key is being willing to reflect upon your mistakes as a means of extracting the lessons. That’s the part too many skip because honestly—mistakes feel crummy and no one likes feeling bad. Reflect anyway. You’ll thank yourself later. 

2. Ask the hard questions in conversations

 • get better at going past surface level questions in conversations. Conversational treasures reside deeper in the cave.

Bonus tip: do this with your parents while you can. They won’t be around forever

3. Engage with nature

 • it’s cliche these days to say “get outside!” But seriously, the cycles of life in the natural world are a masterclass in resilience, adaptation, and harmony. Just watching the birds at the feeder outside my kitchen window each morning teaches me something new. 

 4. Listen to your inner voice -- and take action on what it tells you

 • a good mentor can’t be beat but always remember that you hold truths about yourself that no external mentor can provide. Trust your knowing

 5. Put yourself in unfamiliar environments 

 • Lessons in empathy, perspective, and cultural intelligence could be a plane, train, boat, or car ride away. Obviously be smart about where you go — a war zone is probably not a great choice but then again, it’s not for me to say.

An intentional decision to seek the education you can’t buy can bring amazing rewards into your life from here on out. 

What do you want to learn in the coming year?

What’s one form of education you can’t buy you're willing to try?