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John F. Kennedy said, “There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” Are you too comfortable?

There are so many things in life we learn by taking risks and jumping into action. The first time I rode a bicycle, the first time I went snow sledding, and the first time I had to speak in public all include a mix of fear and excitement in my memory. Each was a bit uncomfortable, but each let me learn, grow, and experience life.

We cannot achieve our highest potential without being willing to take some measure of risk. Take a moment to reflect on risks that may be holding you back. Answer the following questions.

1. What risks are you currently avoiding that could get you closer to achieving your dreams?

2. Why are you avoiding these risks?

3. If you continue to avoid these risks, what will be the outcome?

Herbert Otto said, “Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life.” So let’s start experimenting.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is attributed for many great quotes. He once said, “Genius borrows nobly.” To me it emphasizes how much we learn from others. Rarely do we have a thought that is so original, that someone else has not pondered the same thing.

Life is a journey of learning. We are living in the information age, and we are surrounded with opportunities to gather knowledge from others. How can we best take advantage of this opportunity?

1. Commit to Learning: For the opportunity to become useful, you will have to commit some amount of time to learn. As little as 15 minutes a day will add up over time. Make a plan and measure yourself against it.

2. Determine the Best Opportunity for Growth: What knowledge are you in most need of gaining? How can you leverage your strengths and align with your purpose? If you don’t know, look for other experts in your field. What do they know better than you?

3. Practice What You Learn: Knowledge without practice will not be as fulfilling. Imagine buying all the ingredients to bake cookies, and then leaving the ingredients on the shelf, never taking the time to mix and bake them. Put your knowledge to use. You will improve with practice.

Ralph Waldo Emerson also said, “Our best thoughts come from others.”

Les Brown has said, “If you don’t stand up for something, you may fall for anything.” How should you decide when to stand up? It is impossible to stand up for every challenge that faces you. Some must be more important.

When is the last time you stood up to a challenge? What was it for? What made you decide to take a stand?

Challenges come in all sizes and shapes. Deciding to take action in a moment when you lack the energy, the time, or the help needed. Once you get started, you may be able to bring others along to help. Making the action visible usually helps in these cases.

When is the last time you failed to take a stand? What is a time when you went with the status quo even though you thought a better way might exist? These are incidents it may help to reflect on. Determining if you are actively making these decisions based on the values and purpose you want to live.

This week’s exercise is to simply list examples of times that you took a stand and changed the course of your life, or of a group. What values were you standing up for? Did you decide based on your purpose, your family, your faith?

How can you better manage these decisions in the future?

John Kennedy said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” Learning is a process. It is important to not get it confused with mastery. If mastery was your ultimate goal, then your breadth of knowledge would probably be limited so that you could master a particular skill.

There are many people that stop learning for various reasons. They may feel they lack the time, lack interest, or they miss the immediate gratification of other pursuits. Then there are some people that feel learning is not a noble pursuit if you are not already good. Have you ever heard someone say, “Why are you doing that? You will never be good at it.”

Learning and success go hand in hand. They are not separable. Everyone learns differently and at a different pace. No one can judge what the learning process looks like for you, except you. But it is important to continue learning. It is important to get out of your comfort zone and place yourself into a new learning environment from time to time.

The question I will leave you with today is, “Have you created a vision of what life long learning looks like to you?” If not, it would be a great exercise for this week.