We're all in school

Soon it will be back-to-school day in Dallas.  Even if you or your children are not heading to a classroom, I have news for you:  We’re all in school!  No one already has every skill required for success in every stage of life or every challenge we might encounter. I often joke that to learn everything we need to know in life takes 700 years.  We have to learn progressively and continually.  This is life-long learning.  I call this “Grow Into It.”
 
My father and his siblings owned a fair-sized business.  I have clear memories of him telling me many times, pointing to his daily correspondence and continual reading, “This is my homework,” and, pointing to his balance sheet, “This is my report card.”  He was saying that, just as I was in school and had a duty to work hard and learn as much as possible, so did he.  There will be a test.
 
My psychology clients range in age from their twenties to their eighties.  In our sessions, they all discover that they lack some valuable skill for living, for successfully solving their current dilemma.  I urge them to see themselves as students, and to work at learning the skill they lack.  As they do this, it is uncanny how their efficacy in life goes up, and their mood follows.
 
Here is the punchline. No one knows everything, and everyone must keep learning. This is, I believe, a liberating insight.  It means that there is no shame in not yet being an expert in a particular area.  It means that your friends will be happy to help you gain the new skill, because they know you will be happy to return the favor when needed.  It means that consulting a psychologist about your particular dilemma does not mean you are sick, weak, or crazy!
 
So, when you wake up every day, remember that school is in session for you, too.  Have a great year!