6.17 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Learning Leads to Progress

“Life is a classroom. Only those who are willing to learn are able to make progress.” - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

When was the last time life taught you something you didn’t expect—and were you open to learning from it?

One thing is for certain: Every new season, I know I am going to face a new challenge that I haven’t seen before. Wisdom is knowledge plus experience, so each season, I increase my wisdom because I learn something new and experience something new.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not only one of the best basketball players of all time, but he is also one of the most dominant and most accomplished athletes of all time. Kareem once said, “Life is a classroom. Only those who are willing to learn can make progress.”

I once heard an author say, “Life is a learning game,” meaning the person who can learn quickly will have a head start on the others. Every situation you find yourself in is an opportunity to learn if you are willing to put yourself out there, be vulnerable, mess up, or fail, and keep going.

Don’t be so afraid of messing up and what comes with it, like getting yelled at, losing, and/or disappointing others, that you don’t try.

And seek learning opportunities that can make you better. Seek teammates, coaches, teachers, and mentors who are willing and able to pour into you and make you better. I am always looking for people and situations that can teach me something new.

Be willing to put yourself in situations where you have to learn something new, to do something new.

Question of the Day: What does it/would it take for you to get in a learning mindset?