It is fascinating to me that we can look at those around us and learn a myriad of things. We can discover new ideas, determine attitudes that we admire and witness reactions that we want to avoid. Learning from others is an essential tool that we must learn to use if we want to go far in life. And, in case you hadn’t already realized it, that is what this blog is all about – inspiring you to be the best that you can be to bring glory to God!
Learning from others is highly recommended – and it just shows good sense. We can watch another’s actions and witness the consequences. Weighing these two things can teach us so much. Were the actions wise and ethical? What about the consequences – excellent and worthy of praise?
Years ago, when I first started growing my online business, I would look at different sellers. Some were far ahead of me while others were on the same level. What was different about the sellers that were ahead of me, I would ponder.
Little by little, I picked up little nuggets of inspiration. They were always applauded for quick communication and service. They considered customer service a high priority. The sellers that were essentially my equals didn’t seem to offer the same level of service. They would frequent the forums just to chat.
I have learned so much just by watching others and paying attention. More often than not, I look for what I like about another person’s attitude, presentation, business, website, blog, etc. If I look for positive things, I can find quite a few.
I try to avoid looking at another’s shortcomings. As I said, you will typically find what you look for, so I prefer to focus on the good. It is just another way to show others grace – even if they don’t know that you are. You have just as many faults as another and you too would prefer another to focus on your positive qualities!
A pink bar of soap
It is amazing to me that we can spend our entire lives learning from others. Be sure to keep this in mind as you go about your day and your life – others are watching – and they are learning from you! What are they learning? This never fails to me amaze me how much others learn and notice and remember.
For instance, a little girl came into our shop with her grandparents several months back. She acted a bit out of place and bored. In an effort to be kind to her, I asked if she had smelled our soaps. We walked over to the soaps and began sniffing away, me reading the scents and then each of us voting whether we liked it or not. It was cute to watch her expression and see her reaction to each of the scents.
As we finished smelling the soaps, I pointed out the last one with the pink packaging. Knowing how little girls typically like pink, I told her that it was one of my favorites too! She giggled in delight at the thought of us sharing a favorite. She bought a little bar of the pink soap that day and delightedly stood and sniffed it while her grandparents finished shopping. A place that began as boring and uninteresting held a new little charm to the little girl who found a prize in a delicious smelling pink bar of soap!
Fast forward to last week – a little girl came in with her mother and grandparents. Now I’ll be honest and say she looked quite familiar, but it did take me some time to realize just why! I greeted the group and noticed the little girl seemed quite tickled to be there – how cute, I thought! As I finished chatting with the grandfather about some of our products, I turned around to find the little girl grinning at me, pink bar soap in hand. “I need another one,” she told me delightedly! Suddenly I remembered just who she was and realized what an impact taking that time with her must have had on her.
Others are learning from you
That moment reminded me all over again that people are always watching. They are taking note and paying attention to how we act and respond. We can learn from others in much the same way. How they treat others, how outgoing and inviting they are, how sincere and thoughtful.
For the longest time, I liked being the quiet one in a group. (My family very well might laugh at the thought of this!) But then one day as I stood watching a group interact, I realized that it wasn’t the quiet person in the group that was the thoughtful one, the quiet person appeared to be the most self centered. On the contrary, the amiable person who chatted with others as she made her way around the room – she was the one who was looking outside herself to putting others at ease. She was the one that I wanted to become.
This realization has been invaluable to me. I still have days and moments when I could all to easily slip into being the quiet withdrawn person. But I do my best to resist that and focus on those around me. I want to be the person who is enthusiastic and invites others to be at ease and comfortable – not because it comes naturally to me, but because it is one of the best ways that I know to represent God.
What have you learned from others? I’d love it if you’d share below! Keep your eyes open this week and ask God what He is showing you through the lives of others! Learning from others should be a lifelong goal. God is very specific and strategic about where He has us in life – make the most of it by paying excellent attention to those around you. And remember, others are watching you too – represent God remarkably well!
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. Little children seem to always be watching and paying attention – I love this story and I believe you will too – https://www.theamericanlady.com/2018/09/19/to-bring-glory-to-god/