One of the biggest challenges we all share in life is that we tend to find a spot in life where we are comfortable. A moment in time we we're happy with the money we make, the car we drive, the relationships we have, even the knowledge we have in our heads, we all have that moment and part of who we are is our response to that moment.
Do we decide to stay in the spot or do we decide to continue our journey.
As a Freemason, I've opted to follow the words of Og Mandino.
“Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.” - Og Mandino
Cultivating the willingness and drive to continue to learn and grow is something that Freemasonry tries to instill in each of us. It echoes what many of us hear in our lives outside the Lodge, never stop learning
For those in the Fraternity there's a saying that you may be a Master Mason but you need to be an Entered Apprentice. You need to be aware of the resources you have at your disposal as a Master Mason, but you need to approach those resources as an Entered Apprentice. You need to take the attitude of that student who is just starting and everything is new.
We need to be aware of the fact that we are on a journey that includes the need to continually reassess what we know, and work to better ourselves on many levels. We need to understand that the need to improve must include being a student at all time of all things. We need to read widely, not just books on Freemasonry, we need to ask questions, including those that challenge what we and others believe, we need to strive to fill in gaps that we aren't even aware we have.
In short, we need to accept that the journey we are on does not have an ending. As I've mentioned before, each time we reach a destination our view of the world we live in is different than when we began so we see new knowledge to learn and discover new things.
So, do not get comfortable with what you have and what you know, always strive to learn something new and continue your journey.
Be a lifelong student.