It’s rarely a surprise to learn that successful people are lifelong learners. The amount of information that’s available in our world is growing at a mind-numbing pace. People who have more information gain a tremendous advantage over people who don’t. What many people don’t realize is that successful people are also usually teachers, as well.
Forms of Teaching
There’s a saying that I share in my annual seminar, Breakthrough to Success: “Be a student to those above you, a fellow traveler to those at the same level, and a teacher to those below you.” In other words:
Everyone is a teacher. @JackCanfield (Click to Tweet!)
Here are 4 common ways you can play the role of teacher.
BEing. By simply BE-ing who you are, you can teach others by example. Whether it’s demonstrating grace under pressure, fearlessly pursuing your goals, or simply existing in a place of love and joy, being yourself can be one of the most powerful ways of teaching.
Sharing. Even a simple conversation or passing comment can contain a nugget of wisdom that will profoundly change the life of someone else. People sometimes limit what they’ll share with others for fear of overstepping their bounds, being too personal, being ridiculed or other reasons. If you have an impulse to share something with another person, follow your instinct.
Mentoring. Success Principle #44 is “Find a Wing to Climb Under.” In other words, find a mentor with whom you can study. If you want to achieve a goal, it helps to learn from someone who has already navigated the journey you want to take. Recognize that as a successful person, you can mentor others as they pursue the goals you’ve already achieved.
Study groups. The greatest gift you can give someone is a gift of empowerment and love. What could be more empowering than helping others get free of their limiting beliefs and giving them tools to create the life they truly want?
One way to facilitate this change in the world is to lead a Success Principles study group. You’d be amazed at how radically you can change a family, a team, or a business simply by having everyone use the same success principles at the same time. You don’t have to be a master of the principles; you merely need to be willing to facilitate the discussion. Click here to download the free study guide to teaching the basic principles.
Formal teaching. If you want to impact the world in a bigger way, if you have a body of knowledge to share and/or if you are truly passionate about a subject, you may feel called to offer seminars or workshops. Teaching is my core genius and one of my greatest joys, which is why I’ve been leading seminars since very early in my career.
When I recognized that I was ready to impact the world in a bigger way, I started a Train-the-Trainer program so I could personally teach and mentor a small number of people each year how to teach others the Success Principles. Students and graduates of this program include everyone from professional speakers and trainers to managers, business owners, and parents who want to share these valuable principles in more structured ways within their companies and homes.
A Key to Mastery
High achievers often teach from a place of service. They know that the information they have may be exactly what someone else needs to achieve a goal. Because they have an abundance mindset, they recognize that by freely sharing what they know, their generosity will be returned tenfold by the universe.
But teaching can also benefit you directly by helping you develop a deeper understanding and mastery of a topic. To share what you’ve learned, you must clarify your ideas, confront inconsistencies in your own thinking, and more closely walk your talk. Most importantly, teaching requires you to read, study and speak the information repeatedly, which reinforces your own learning.
“If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it.” ~ Yogi Bhajan
You are a unique individual, and the lessons you have learned over the course of your life make you a unique teacher. High achievers learn from every experience, not merely from formal learning opportunities, such as attending seminars or reading books.
The World Needs You
The lessons you can synthesize from your many experiences are invaluable. By being willing to share what you have learned, whether through informal chats or more formal encounters, such as seminars, you’ll contribute greatly to the success of the people you touch and the world as a whole.
As the beloved originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, Jack Canfield fostered the emergence of inspirational anthologies as a genre—and watched it grow to a billion dollar market. As the driving force behind the development and delivery of over 100 million books sold through the Chicken Soup for the Soul® franchise, Jack Canfield is uniquely qualified to talk about success. Jack is America’s #1 Success Coach and wrote the life-changing book The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be and speaks around the world on this subject. Follow Jack at www.jackcanfield.com and sign up for his free resources today!
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Image courtesy of Mattia.
