Ego

I was reading a book this week and there was a line in it that really stuck with me. There are four phrases that lead to wisdom: "I'm sorry. I was wrong. I need help. I don't know."

We've had a lot of lessons recently on the importance of setting aside our egos when it comes to learning. It's easy to think to myself that I approach my learning with an open mind, but I know if I am honest with myself, that's not always true.

At the beginning of each class as I step onto the mats, I've been thinking to myself, "I am an empty vessel." This has really been helping me to get into the right mental state to learn and absorb new lessons. I've always been a fan of learning through teaching. I love questions that challenge my knowledge and make me analyze the intricacies of the things I'm doing. It's very easy to become complacent and assume that I am doing something right when in fact, I am wrong. I am learning to say things like, "I don't know", but have also been gaining a lot of confidence in answering questions that I feel I do know the answers to. Hopefully with this perspective, I will get the most out of the opportunities I have ahead of me.