The greatest gift a teacher can give me is two-fold; first is saying, “I don’t know, let me see if I can find an answer”, second is to admit when they were wrong and say, “I’m sorry, I made a mistake”, and a close third is sharing their own humanity.
As a child, at times all I wanted to hear from an adult was, “I’m sorry, I messed up” or “you know what, I’m not sure I would be able to overcome such a challenge.”
I have the privilege of speaking with a great sage weekly, and what I love most about him is his humanity.
I asked him for guidance and advice with a diffiuclt conundrum I was dealing with, and he answered me with such vulnerability. He said he wasn’t sure he himself would be able to listen to the advice he was about to give me, yet this is what he thought I should do.
He gave me my chance to be fallible, to be human, and he showed me his humanity.
One of the greatest difficulties in life is admitting we were wrong, as It challenges our personal sense of safety and security. Yet it’s admitting we are wrong or that we might fail that makes us so much more relatable, relevant, trustworthy, and loved.
This week, let’s not be afraid to share our humanity. You have no idea whom you may be giving permission to share their’s too.
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