Learning From you

March 28, 2009 by Jonathan Lockwood  

george-herbert-palmerI came across this quote from George Herbert Palmer

“I am defeated, and know it, if I meet any human being from whom I find myself unable to learn anything.”

I don’t know if I completely agree, but I do like the idea behind this quote.  Can I really learn from any human being.  Maybe.  I mean, I certainly keep myself open to learning from anyone.  But, if I’m to be perfectly honest, sometimes I meet people who are so closed to new ideas, closed to improving themselves, and satisfied in skating by with the bare minimum of effort they find necessary.  Might I learn from someone like this?  Yes, again, maybe.  If I talk to them long enough, searching for a nugget, I’ll probably find something edifying.

But why would I want to spend my time in this way?  While certainly remaining open to learning from everyone, I would prefer to spend my time seeking people who have, for instance, accomplished what I want to accomplish, mastered something I want to master, spent time studying things I want to learn, or at least people who’ve had experiences I wish to have.  And I definitely hope not to feel the counterproductive agony of “defeat” if I don’t learn from every single person I meet.

Okay, with that out of the way, I’ll return to at least the essence of the quote:  we can learn from the people we meet. And this is the point of the site you’re visiting.  I’ve noticed throughout my life that, while teachers and experts can be extremely helpful, sometimes our greatest “Eureka!” moments come from something someone said. A bell goes off, a key is turned, and you are enlightened.

The Law of Attraction has captured the imaginations of millions of people.  It’s kind of funny though.  So many struggle with allowing it to work for them–but they still seem convinced it’s real. I suppose it’s because they’ve had enough remarkable experiences to persuade them of its validity, but they just haven’t found a way to make it work consistently.  So they’re looking to latch onto a method, a mindset, an approach to harness it.

How did you first learn about the LOA?  Was it watching “The Secret” or “What the Bleep Do We Know?”  Was it reading Esther and Jerry Hicks’ books?  Or have you been a longtime student?  Do you still feel you have more to learn?  Good.  Me too.  So instead of claiming to be an authority on the subject, I’ve embarked upon a mission.  While this mission will include interviewing experts, it will focus upon capturing the stories of those real people who have found success in working with the LOA.

Soon my “Share Your Story” page will give you the opportunity to do just that.  I am traveling almost every week to a different U.S. city.  If you find yourself in my area, I’ll welcome meeting you.  If you’re in the Phoenix area, that’s my home base, and I’d love to get together with you there too.  Soon, I’ll also begin to interview people over the telephone, which will be part of my podcast series.  Stay tuned.

If it’s not already obvious, I’m new to blogging.  (Special thanks to Justin Wright for helping me put this site together.)  That aside, you should know I’m incredibly excited to pursue this mission, and you are cordially invited to be part of it.

Comments

6 Responses to “Learning From you”
  1. Justin Wright says:

    Awesome post. Keep it up!

  2. C.L. says:

    While I agree that it shouldn’t be a defeating experience, I think that close-minded individuals can teach us more about the ways that we don’t want to be. Thinking positively and being open-minded is something that some of us have to actively work on everyday. It’s easy to fall into a negative mindset, and you might not even realize that you have. But when you see it in someone else it can force you to look inside yourself and take inventory of your thoughts so that you can progress.
    Very nice website. :)

  3. Rachel says:

    Congratulations on this website. Looking forward to hearing and reading stories about different people using the law of attraction.

  4. Sunny Wang says:

    Learning from someone, to me, may also be learning from a situation someone is envolved in. A lot of times, these situations may be opportunities that create contrast so that we can make new preferred decisions.

    For example, if I meet someone who constantly think thoughts that generate misery, I would take that experience and remind myself when I don’t feel so good, I can change my thinking and snap out of the misery a lot faster.

    • Couldn’t agree more, Sunny. Kind of reminds me of comments from the Abraham-Hicks books. We needn’t always run from nor dismiss negative things we find in our life; they might be providing us with just the contrast we need to identify who we really are and what our life’s mission is.

      Looking forward to meeting you this Saturday in Fayetteville. Your website is fascinating!

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