Have you ever watched a movie or read a book, and got nothing out of it?

Have you ever enrolled in a workshop or evening class and got nothing out of it?

A couple of days ago I was chatting to a friend about a book we had both read, the book was actually about core values. He was amazed when I said how great one particular section was and how it had deepened my commitment to my own values because he had found the book pretty boring.

Guess what? It was because that was what I needed to hear.

One of the most difficult aspects of my work facilitating seminars and workshops was for me to learn that I am exactly that, the facilitator. I facilitate peoples learning (healing too). But I’m not a teacher or a healer, I’m a facilitator. It was actually much easier when I thought of myself as “the teacher”, especially in a corporate environment, I could just talk “at” people about what I wanted to talk about. If they didn’t learn what I wanted them to that was their problem, not mine.

Now, I present information and facilitate peoples learning. As I made the transition from teacher /presenter to presenter/facilitator I was amazed at how much more fulfilled I felt at the end of each event.

Looking for Affirmation

When are born, our personalities are already in place. We spend the first few years of life blindly and ingesting the lessons given by our parents or caregivers. These lessons are added to our personalities and go to make up the core of our identity.

As the years go by and our identity becomes more solid, we unconsciously look for information that resonates with Who-We-Are (or who we think we are). We prefer information and experiences that we can “identify” with, because it feels good. It feels good because affirms Who-We-Are. Curiosity about the world we live in and desire to learn new things is built into all of us by default. Humans are learning beings, nature built us that way. Since the dawn of time, learning has been necessary for our survival.

Curiosity and the desire to learn are also essential for our growth, happiness, and fulfilment.

To go back to the example I gave earlier, you don’t remember every detail of all the books you read, do you? You only retain what resonates with you.

Teachers present information, but you are the one who absorbs it, or not. Great chefs prepare wonderful meals but you choose what you eat based on your personal preferences.

In programs like Future Warrior [4], Wild Fire [5] and Excellent Values [6], my job is much like that chef, I prepare a great seminar or workshop but you decide what it is that you take away in terms of permanent change in the way your life works. My job during the event is get you to teach me what it is you need to learn and/or heal. My role is to facilitate your learning and/or heal.

You are your own teacher.

Thinking that teachers are able to give us knowledge and the wisdom to use it is a mistake many people make. You learn it. There are many things that can be learned, from seemingly ineffective teachers. Or you can find yourself the most renowned, experienced, accredited teacher and learn nothing. It’s all up to you.

So how to you learn the most?

First, by knowing this truth: You are the one who’s doing the teaching.

Secondly, by learning to know yourself. We all have different learning styles. Think about it. What interests us, what resonates with us — those are elements we discover. Fighting, or force yourself to learn what you’re not interested in, is futile — a waste of time. Because you either can’t or won’t learn it.

At best, you will store some information in your short-term memory. It will be over-written as soon as the next piece of “important” data comes along. True, there is some information that you ought to know, that you don’t presently feel drawn to. Like basic safety and health information. But beyond that: Simply allow who you are naturally, to give you your direction.

Once you understand how this works, you can go on to teach yourself anything. We are learning beings. Don’t limit yourself, don’t blame your teacher. You are the one holding the key that unlocks your full potential.