The Training
Last weekend my wife and I went on a 3 day investment workshop, and so as to not distract from the message of the article, it will remain unnamed. The reason we did the training, is because we as a family believe that we should constantly be growing in all aspects of life. The unusual thing is, when doing some research about this course, I soon realised that many people, not all, felt that the course was over priced with no real value. Keeping this in mind, for some strange reason we both felt very strongly that we had to attend the training, and so we did.
True Reflection
After having completed the training, I personally feel that the course was worth every cent, and that it truly broadened our vision about the possibilities out there. Yes, there were some parts of the course I did not appreciate, but overall it taught exactly what it advertised. Nothing more, and nothing less. This being said, there was a stage at the beginning where I was also questioning its value, but then I asked myself, what more was I expecting? This was when I realised that I was hoping that the practical side of things would be easier and less effort to implement, which is what I am assuming most of the complainers were hoping as well.
The Reason
The problem with this kind of thinking is that we judge the value of something external by how much we actually choose to apply it. It is also true that not all things in life, have the value they might profess to have, but in all things we should judge honestly. Getting back to the course, I am personally under the impression that people were complaining because doing what the course taught, takes actual effort and dedication. Which is not what most people like to hear. Many people go on courses, seminars and read books to learn more, but few actually use what we have learned.
The Message
This whole experience made me realise anew how much we want things to be easy, and how quickly we blame others when we actually have the responsibility to take action. This brings me to the actual message of this post. In life we have the opportunity, and the responsibility to firstly discern what is right and wrong, but then to use that which is available to us. We need to commit and take responsibilty for our lives. The same is applicable when reading our Bibles, or even articles from this website. You have the choice about how much influence it will have in your life, but also if you are going to implement it in your life or not. I once heard that learning is like eating, and if we don't make the good things apart of who we are, in a sense taking the nutrients, we are wasting all the things we supposedly take in. And this is my hope for us all today, that we learn from all things in life and use it all to grow in ways we never thought possible.