Lifelong Learning: You can.
Remember when you were a teen and had life all figured out?
Hahahahahahaha…that was funny.
Most of us, if we do this life right, get 7-10 decades to learn something new every single day. I’m no mathematician, but on the low end of that range that’s at least 25,550 days to learn one new thing. Multiply that by years spent in school, different subjects, concepts and ideas, plus personal experiences and this becomes an insane amount of things we learn in one lifespan.
Now think about those who choose to continue on with their education past high school, or learning a trade or skill, or even just an avid reader. It’s mind blowing, isn’t it?
Education is a privilege in this country. We like to say it is a right – public school and all – but it simply isn’t that easy. Our geographical location, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture, hell…even our parents’ education level can pre-determine how much education we will receive, if we go to a public or private school or even home school, whether we’ll continue on past high school, and if our own children will have the privilege of getting an education as well.
That being said, if you’re reading this right now, you have had some education. Congratulations!
I learned to read at age 4, was in the gifted and talented program, skipped ahead a grade or two for reading and English classes, could recite Chaucer from memory, and read books that the high schoolers were reading, like “To Kill A Mockingbird”. I dreamed of becoming the next Jane Goodall, but with orangutans. Living in the jungles of Sumatra with the gingery apes was all I could think of.
Somewhere along the line I lost my love for learning. I actually dropped out of high school my junior year with zero ambition to ever do anything beyond earning my equivalency diploma. I joke that I traded in my books for a dimebag of pot and it was all downhill from there, but there are absolutely other factors that went into this.
We were a white family, but that was about the only thing we had going for us. I lived in a home that was abusive at best. We definitely were not wealthy. By eighth grade I had found friends who felt more like family than my own, and with that family came drinking, drugs, and other activities that were far more interesting than learning algebra. Being from a very broken home set me up to fall in love with people who accepted me as is. They could offer me things my family wouldn’t.
After years of running around with my self-made family, the members of which changed frequently, I eventually just grew tired of the cycle. I was working jobs that were fun but paid very little and showed no room for growth. Often going for the top management position and easily acquiring it was one of the only ways I knew I could challenge myself. Though, when you work at gas stations…how hard is it to climb that ladder, really? Show up, do your job well, and don’t rip off the owner. Pro tips right here.
The opportunity to go to college presented itself when I was laid off indefinitely from a factory job that left me feeling undervalued and literally falling asleep while doing the job. Because I had not completed high school and had decided I was done learning math after my seventh grade math teacher told me I was incapable of learning, I had to take remedial math for zero credit just to catch up. I tested far out of all required English, as I knew I would, but chose to take the second level anyway so that I could learn to write a proper paper, complete with citations. I had never done that before.
The thought of going back to school on purpose terrified me. I joked about it a lot on Facebook, but I knew that one wrong move and I would lose focus, I’d fail, and everyone would say “well, of course she couldn’t do it. That’s what losers do.”
I started my college career at 29, and loved school so much that I skipped right over my Associates degree and went directly to my Bachelors, graduating with honors from a private liberal arts college with enough grants and earned scholarships to pay for it. (Any debt I incurred was for living expenses as an unemployed single mom of 2.)
Jane Goodall I am not.
I love what I do now. This is the most fun I’ve had as an adult; helping others find their way on their own journeys to healthier lives, living the quality life they desire is beyond rewarding. The most rewarding part of going back to school and earning my degree?
Learning who I am.
Learning that I do enjoy challenging myself, learning new skills and expanding my brain power. For instance, I took fun classes to keep me going without wanting to claw my eyeballs out. Classes like History of Rock and Roll, archaeology, philosophy, gender relations, and criminal justice helped keep me engaged with school in general, but also taught me that I very much enjoy a broad spectrum of subjects.
Learning that I do want to be someone who is remembered as intelligent, kind, and grounded.
Learning that breaking the cycle of misery is important to me, and that I hold the power to be the example for my own kids.
Learning that despite my past, I was allowed to turn it around and pull myself out of the suck…and that I even wanted to.
Many of us set goals to earn degrees, certifications, and accomplish other educational feats. But when is the last time you set a goal to learn about you?
I had zero plans to learn about myself. I was so convinced that I knew who I was, what I believed, where I came from, what I stood for. And I could not have been more wrong.
Don’t get me wrong – furthering your education is something that is valuable and has many benefits. However, one of my core beliefs is that the most important syllabus should be revolved around learning who we are. What do we believe? What do we stand for? What do we want our life to be? And, why?
The best part … we all have the opportunity to learn this regardless of any circumstances. It is a true equal opportunity educational experience.
When we take the time to learn why we believe what we believe, why we have the habits we do, why we eat what we eat, live where we live, wear what we wear, and so on, the choices we make become more aligned with our core values. Living in full alignment is the only way to live the most quality life we can, and anything less than that causes undue stress on our bodies. Stress equates to unbalanced hormones, shitty sleep, trouble maintaining healthy habits, and can manifest as physical pain. Thus, we get stuck in the suck.
When I work with my clients on behavior change, because let’s face it – becoming healthier requires behavior change – we spend most of our time on getting clear on who the client is. And most clients resist or even get upset that we do this. They don’t want to have to think about where they came from, what life experiences and lessons have shaped their adult behaviors.
Why do you think we, as humans, are so resistant to the idea of digging into the root of who we are? My personal belief is that we resist anything that is uncomfortable, even if we know that it benefits us in the long run. For instance, most of us know that if we go for a walk, our health benefits in several ways. But if we add snow and cold and ice to that walk (Hello, fellow Wisconsinites), it becomes uncomfortable and before you know it, we’re talking ourselves out of that walk that will help us meet our health goals.
We like being in our comfortable little bubbles with zero change and 100 percent predictability. When we know what to expect, we don’t have to deal with those pesky hormone surges that come with surprise and outside stressors. Our bodies love predictability; stressing them out sets off all those alarms that kick start the processes just to keep us alive. Thus, our brains love predictability, and when we challenge our brains to think differently…well…you can kind of see how this could go.
Having said all this, I do promise you that when you start to invest in learning about yourself, learning who you are, why you do the things you do, what you stand for, and how you came to be, the uncomfortable feelings you will most likely feel are the ones that have the most impact on your progress and success in your goals.
Those feelings that leave us feeling uncomfortable and even angry or frustrated, those are the ones that lead us the biggest, most beneficial changes to those behaviors that have kept us stagnant and complacent.
If you are feeling like you’re stuck in the suck, stagnant, or complacent, and you aren’t on my VIP Membership list, I want you to stop reading this. Go to the home page, sign up for that list, and be sure to take advantage of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. We’re going to start the year off on the right foot, ensuring an amazing 2021 no matter what the rest of the world is doing. I do NOT want you to miss out on this opportunity, so be sure to get on that list.
Why are you still reading this? Go get on that VIP Membership list!
Seriously though…I’ve developed this program that helps us dig into all of these things, which, when we understand and see so clearly why we do the things we do, we can then use our own unique strengths to propel us into success with our health goals.
Here’s what other women have to say about it:
Tina: Kerri's exercises were lightly challenging (perfect for intro level), and creativity-inducing. I felt more grounded and clear after the week. I recommend this for anyone who is feeling stagnant, or who is at or near a point of transition, or who just wants to feel a little clearer about who she is and what she wants. I plan to do the full course soon!
Connie: Not only did I make some brutally honest discoveries, I also found out I. Am. Not. Alone.
Michelle: I appreciated Kerri’s emphasis on positives. Recognizing the negative attributes we feed every day, but to turn them around positively and build on them. I learned to accept a good compliment, and be proud of it. Check out Kerri's insight, if your own insight needs a little...or big... adjustment. The services you offer are outstanding. Keep up the great work Kerri!
Sarah: Through my journey called life I have learned that there is always a cause and effect and when we can go back and deal with those causes we can reprogram the effects. If you are an emotional eater, like I am, Kerri can help you discover those hurts and disappointments and properly reprogram the effects by better understanding yourself.
Kierstin: I was hoping to find out why I hold on so much to people or situations that I knew I should let go of. I learned there are real reasons for why I hold on so tightly. Part of what I learned was that it is okay to have a small group of close people in your life. It’s okay that those people don't fit for every need in your life, and it’s even okay to love some from a distance. I would recommend this program for every woman and I say that because I believe that we all have time were we are questioning our relationships and have those "MOLD" thoughts. It is an amazing program that Kerri has!
Please consider joining us. I can’t promise that it will be comfortable. In fact, I won’t promise that. I do promise that you will learn things about yourself that you didn’t know. You’ll come to know yourself in ways that you never thought possible. You’ll learn how to set and maintain healthy boundaries, reframe negative and self-destructive thoughts, and induce the own strengths that you didn’t even know you possessed. This all leads to behavior changes that lift and serve you. Walking away with the confidence of knowing how to put all this new information about you into place, already making healthier choices that will help you reach your goals…priceless, right?
Now…go to that home page and be sure you’re signed up for that VIP Membership.
