At some level of our knowledge we settle down. We start to feel confident and safe. We become comfortable with what we know. This feeling can be dangerous.
At some point of our learning cycle we become fluent enough to do many things, many advanced things. To teach our dogs very spectacular behaviors. This level of knowledge allows us to feel safe enough in our skills and abilities. We can compete, teach others, repeat what we have learned to that point with relevant success. This feeling often stops the desire to learn more. This can be tricky. We learn throughout our life, if we stop it means we are deteriorating in what we have learned so far, we stop challenging ourselves. If someone says he has learned enough it means he has learned nothing.
Learning is about discovering, rewriting what was known as rock solid, re-labelling and turning things upside down. It’s never linear and stable. It doesn’t always feel safe because it’s about going deep into unknown and getting into details of what we took for granted. It is slippery and wobbly sometimes. It requires to step outside of your comfort zone and to lever what you believed was right for a very long time. It’s about being open minded and confident enough to say I Was Wrong. Of course it sometimes feel risky and makes you feel irritated. It is often hard to question what gives you confidence and stability.
This feeling of settling down with what you know is something to acknowledge and change. Everyone at least once in a life felt it. The people who got themselves comfortable and stayed in this safe spot have never become the best. Never became good teachers and learners. Learning is about sharing experience and understanding what is yet to be discovered. There is no finish line when it comes to learning, the point is not to feel fulfilled with “enough knowledge”, it’s about continuous joy we experience from learning.
Don’t ever stop challenging yourself even when you feel you are good at what you do. There is always more you can learn.
This article is not only about dog training, it relates to every aspect of our professional life.