We know that babies and children must go through a training and development period in order to reach what we call maturity. Although we need standards and measures to gage their development, perhaps our notion of maturity needs to be adjusted. There are many factors that determine our growth and development, and everyone does not learn at the same rate or through the same method. Whether it is in the area of our social and emotional learning and development, or our intellectual and skills-based development, we may advance at different paces. I have learned some things later in life that others learned earlier in life and vice versa.
I suggest that we develop a new discipline for success which will allow everyone to advance at their own pace without the pressure of having to keep pace with others or adhere to a preset timeframe. Everyone must pass a test to get a driver’s license, however, some will get theirs at age sixteen, some at thirty or forty, and some may never choose to, or be able to drive. Whether we are 25, 45, 65, or 95 years of age, we are all under construction and we can learn, develop, and grow at any age, stage, or location in life.
Through what I call ‘the discipline of ongoing development,’ we can give ourselves and others to the freedom to return to the drawing board, set new goals, tackle new challenges, learn new things, and accomplish unbelievable feats.