Student of Life

“Never stop being a student; never stop learning.”  I’ve heard these words numerous times at graduation events.  At the time, I didn’t think much about the sentiment.  It sounded nice, if a bit cliche, and that was all.

This past week, I had the occasion to think  back on that sentiment.  I was struck by how much grace I found there.

Being a student means, among many other things, that you still have something to learn.  You don’t know everything yet or have all the skills you need.  (Of course, we never know everything, but stick with me here.)  The beautiful reality is that you are not supposed to.

You’re not supposed to know everything.  You’re not supposed to be completely ready for every possibility.  If you did or if you were, then you would no longer be a student.  That’s why you continue to study, practice, rehearse until that day when someone, maybe yourself, says you are ready.

But if we never stop being students, then that process never ends.  There’s always more to learn, more ways to grow.  That may sound daunting, like we never truly arrive.  But it is also frees us from the pressure of being the perfect expert.  We have the freedom to make mistakes, learn from them, and move on.  We can take some pressure of ourselves that everything must be perfect our first time out.  It won’t be.  And that’s just fine.

So go on, be a student of life.  Keep learning, keep growing.  Give yourself the freedom to make mistakes.  Don’t be paralyzed by the thought of failure or terrified of the consequences.  You might just surprise yourself and what becomes possible.