45 minutes that’s all that was left before our weekly, “Courageous Conversations” virtual meetup.
“I should sweep the floors,” I thought to myself.
I made my way from my bedroom to the corner closet, located to the right of the bathroom in my apartment, to grab the broom.
“Where should I start?”
As I made my way to my bedroom again, I thought, “What if you ease the pressure of how you sweep? What would happen?”
For 20 years, or as long as I have been in the sweeping business, I used to think that the more pressure I had put on the broom, the more dirt it would pick up.
As I wrapped my hands around the plastic handle of the broom and slowly swung it back and forth without a lot of pressure, I noticed how much more effective that technique was compared to how I had been sweeping.
A smile appeared on my face. A smile of simple joy.
The same exact one when I was a child, having learned to smell a rose for the first time.
As I continued sweeping, from one room to the other, I thought, “learn to unlearn”
Yes, this new technique may have taken me longer, but it brought me significantly more joy in the process.
It made me realize the importance of unlearning an old habit, so I can learn a new one.
It was the first time that I experienced joy in sweeping!
“There is beauty within everything if I choose to see it.”
As I finished sweeping, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.
I was super excited about this new discovery, albeit it was just sweeping.
I walked around my apartment wanting to share this new sweeping joy I had just experienced.
I heard the inner child within me, “Mom, guess what I learned today?”
It was while walking around my apartment that I realized, “I don’t have to do anything with this new knowledge of mine. What if I just sit with it and let it flow through me?”
So, I sat down on my bed, and began to record this moment on my iPhone.
A memory that I’ll have for a long time.
A memory of what it felt like to learn to unlearn.
Do you remember a time when you learned something new or unlearned an old habit of yours? What did it feel like?
If you enjoyed this, please share your thoughts by commenting below or joining us on one of our weekly, “Courageous Conversations” virtual meetup gatherings.
Oleg Lougheed is the host of the Overcoming Odds Podcast, where you get a glimpse into the stories of individuals who have overcome adversity, suffering, and struggle in achieving their personal success.
