“Learn that you can learn and the fear of the future will diminish” (Henry Cloud and John Townsend).

I shared that idea with a lady yesterday who is going to have to make some really tough decisions that will likely end with people having hurt feelings, anger, and maybe even walking away (for a while) from her.

I told her, “It’s time to guard your heart” (which by the way is a biblical principal – see Proverbs 4:23). She said, “I don’t know how.” And that’s where I laid that line on her… “Learn that you can learn and the fear of the future will diminish.”

See, people learn new things all the time: how to get to work a new way when road construction is under way; how to work their new phone; how to work the new remote control; new skill set for the new job, volunteer position, etc.

We learn new things all the time! Typically though the learning is done in the technical and skill set arenas. So here’s the question, why can’t we apply our ability to learn new things to other arenas of our life (e.g. emotional, spiritual)?

WE CAN!

• A 35 year old lady can learn to guard her heart… just like she learned how to operate her new car!
• A 50 year old man can learn and practice patience… just like he learned how to work his iphone!

I could go on… but you get the point! You can learn… and once you learn that truth your future will look different! No more fear… at least no more fear of being stuck where you are! Sure there will be fear as you begin to change and embrace new ideas and practices, but believe me, that fear will soon be replaced by confidence and hope as the new you evolves!

How do you learn new emotional and spiritual skill sets? The same way you learn anything else… read the instruction manual, and begin practicing! Stick with it! Don’t quit working on it! If you mess up… start again! If you quit… don’t make that your last attempt! Keep going!

Read good books. Ask lots of questions. Take good notes. Try new things. Fail a few times, and always  remember this verse. You can learn new emotional skill sets and change your future!

Now… where are you going to start?!

By the way, a great resource to help you get started on your journey would be Henry Cloud and John Townsend’s book Boundaries.

Oh, and remember this verse while you’re learning new things:

“The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” (Proverbs 13:4 NIV)