I am a product of an educational system that was based on telling me what to do and what to think instead of teaching me how to think. The system is always trying to put us in boxes and attach labels to the essence of who we are. But boxes and labels confine and suffocate us from ever exploring the outer depths of who we are.
Each day is a unique opportunity to cultivate growth in our personal and professional lives. We must relentlessly challenge ourselves and awaken our inner strength to courageously live outside the box and beyond the labels. If we operate from a boxed mindset and over-identify with societal labels, it impedes our ability to reach our outer limits as a human being.
The first sign of intelligence is to admit that we do not know something. Acknowledging what we do not know but need to know is the first step towards significant individual and collective progress. Not having all the answers makes us human. But not taking the time to explore and uncover the right questions is a disservice to ourselves and to those we lead.
Today, we spend more time talking to a screen than we do face-to-face with ourselves and other human beings. We must strive in our daily living to have more authentic and meaningful discussions. This dialogue must encompass not only the most comfortable matters but also those issues that are most uncomfortable. Radical change and transformation will always require our discomfort.
Let’s dismantle the mental walls that have been built while taking our lives and freedom back. It is our birthright to have the liberty to explore our outer depths and to discover our most authentic selves. As we practice self-leadership and self-discipline, let us not forget to prioritize learning moments in everything that we do. If we are not learning, we are not growing. If we are not growing, we are not living.