UNITED STATES—With each day that we live, there is an opportunity to learn something new.  Its sounds cliche, but it’s so true. I vividly recall a professor telling me once, to never get complacent with your writing; each and everyday you should be challenging yourself to get better. It didn’t quite make sense back then, but resonates to me now.  We live in a complacent culture; we tend to be ‘satisfied’ with what is given to us at times versus striving for more.

As Americans some of us settle with what we have without striving for more; fighting for those things that we dreamed about as a kid or a teen.  Anything in life is attainable if we’re willing to fight for it.  There is a problem; we live in a world where some of us refuse to acknowledge that we need to grow and mature.

This is not a tale focused on growth in the career field; it’s in life in general. Being a better parent, a better brother, sister, friend, teacher, etc; the list goes on and on. It’s all about decision-making.  What possible outcome or fallout could happen from my actions? Many of us see a secret or mistake as that, we don’t learn from it, which causes us to be susceptible to doing it again and again without acknowledging what has taken place.

There is no possible way to grow as an individual unless we’re willing to self-reflect on our past. This is not to say its okay, to continue to retort to the past, it’s to acknowledge a past event that had a turbulent impact on our lives and how we can move forward. It’s not always easy to confront a past memory that has shattered one’s life, but it can be a learning tool for others how to deal with similar situations.

A person hearing from another person how they dealt with a personal trauma can prepare them from the emotional fallout or financial turmoil that may transpire. We must be willing to use our knowledge to help educate those who may not be as wise as we are.  In other words, we can always learn something from an elder, just as we can always teach something to those younger than us.

Some of us live in that world where we think it’s alright to be a closed book; I’m grappling with that.  I don’t like to share every single detail of my life; I’m a private person, and quite guarded to say the least. But I’m learning more and more each day, what I share with others about my past and how I dealt with things have helped place things in perspective. We can learn about ourselves by sharing a little with even those that we do not know.  While we may look different, act different, talk different, deep inside we all want the same things: the pursuit of love, life and happiness.  There is not a single person who can tell me this theory is not true. We are more alike than different, but in the end it’s a journey for us to grow with one another each and everyday, no matter how difficult it may be in the long run.