Bridges, Humility, and Passion: Three Things I'm Learning Right Now

I have always been a note-taker. All through school, I loved choosing just the right pencil or pen and taking careful notes on a clean page of notebook paper. If teachers would allow a page of notes on a test, I was the type of student who would fill every square inch of that one allowed page with tiny, meticulous writing. The funny thing was, when it came time for that test, I often didn’t really need to refer to my notes, because the simple act of writing the information down had cemented it in my brain. I like writing things down because I think that’s how I remember what I’m learning. 

In my life today, I am often listening to audiobooks or podcasts, and I’ll find myself scrounging around for a pen and paper so I can jot down recommendations, or inspirational quotes, or ideas that seem to flick a switch in my brain. This kind of notetaking feels a bit haphazard, though, and I find myself longing for the days of carefully categorized notebooks, one for each subject.

Enter again: The Power of the Blog (or, the Podcast if you’re listening to this)! Why not create a regular post where I share some of my key ‘take-aways’ from the things I’m listening to and reading? Writing these things down will hopefully have the same impact that those tiny, meticulous note pages had in high school and college–I’ll do better on the test (in this case, the “test of living a happier life” I suppose). One can only hope. 

So, without further ado, here are three current Things I’m Trying to Learn: 

1. Maybe you’re on a bridge. I listened to the special podcast series Reinvent Your Life, hosted by speaker and writer Mel Robbins, this past weekend on Audible. There were several big ideas that challenged and inspired me in this series, but the one that seems to have landed and stayed is this one: You might just be crossing a bridge. That is, if your life seems challenging right now, it might simply be that you’re in the middle of a transition–big or small. If life feels heavy or confusing, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve chosen the wrong path. You might be on the completely right path, but you’re still crossing over from who you were before. Transitions, like bridges, can sometimes be scary–but again, this doesn’t mean that you’re on the wrong path. 

2. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” This quote, attributed to C.S. Lewis, was definitely a lightbulb moment for me. I greatly admire people who seem truly humble, but I’ve struggled with the quality of humility in my own life. I am realizing that being hard on myself and thinking of myself as less important or worthy than someone else actually pulls me further away from true humility, and into the dangerous territory of victimhood. We can be proud of ourselves and still practice humility. We can be gentle, forgiving, and nourishing with ourselves, and still be humble. In fact, the better we care for ourselves, the more energy we have to focus on others, and less on our own worries. This quote bears repeating: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.” 

3. Your passion is anything that gives you energy. I’m going back to Mel Robbins with this one. (Can you tell that I’ve been listening to a lot of Mel Robbins lately?) If you’re anything like me, you probably spend a lot of time agonizing over what you should be doing with your life. Namely, agonizing over what your career should look like, because our society seems to have brainwashed us into believing that our day jobs have to be perfectly aligned with our one ‘passion’ or ‘purpose’ in this life. I appreciate Mel Robbins’ frank dismissal of the notion that “if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life.” Instead, Robbins encourages us to see passion in a much broader way. Your passion, Robbins explains, is anything that brings you energy and lights you up. Simple as that. Reading YA romance novels might light you up, but it doesn’t have to be your day job. Cooking elaborate cakes might energize you, but it doesn’t have to earn you a living. Robbins argues that to lead a happier life, we must strive to do one thing that energizes us every day–no matter how small–and that the accumulative effect of this daily passion-seeking will shift our perspective on the struggles we face, helping us find courage to make the big changes or to embrace the way things are. 

To Close: Something Bringing Me Joy This Week! 

Wednesday is the first day of March! And no matter what the weather forecast tells me, March is the month when spring officially begins. We might still have cold and snow, but there is more light in the sky in the early morning, and more light in the sky as the day winds to a close. The air–if you pay attention–is softer. Things are beginning to melt. Slowly, slowly, the earth is waking up again. I love the month of March–it contains a lot of promise. And a feeling of promise is certainly something that makes me feel joyful. 

Thanks for reading! I’ve love to hear what you’re currently learning, and what things (big or small) are bringing you joy right now. Leave a comment below and share this post with someone who might like to read it!

-Beth