Learning takes time

Sometimes life reminds you how difficult things were when you first started out. Spending time with my family brought this realization to the surface. My niece asked me to come outside and jump on the ‘tamproline’ - or something like that, since I couldn’t quite repeat her mispronunciation. Even though the word was not correct, the message was clear. But it made me realize how something, like a word, can be very difficult when you first start with it. She often switches letters in words - ‘karping’ instead of ‘parking - creating funny new terms that become little puzzles for us adults to solve. She is learning by doing - copying what we say and using patterns to form new words, even if they don’t always fit. As you might know, there are many exceptions in Dutch verb conjugation. But she continues learning without being discouraged by the mistakes.

It made me realize just how much time is involved in learning something new, and how difficult the beginning can be. It's also easy to forget the struggle once you've mastered it. For me, ‘trampoline’ is an easy word now - I don’t have to double-check the spelling or think about it. But, I am sure there has been a point in my life, I also found trampoline a difficult word. This same pattern applies to healing and learning life’s lessons. What is easy or clear for me now might be the result of the work I have already done, and in hindsight, the road often appears more straightforward than it really was. It is always good to remind yourself of this learning path we are on and I do realise that when someone is asking me for support, it doesn’t help when I dismiss something as being easy because it is already easy for me.

As someone who guides clients through their personal healing journeys, I encourage keeping an open mind when seeing others struggle, whether it’s learning a new skill or navigating life’s challenges. You can support, show the way and suggest, but they have to walk the path by themselves. Even if you see the bigger picture, forcing them to move quicker is not helping. The same goes for myself, I can support and coach my clients, but I also ask for guidance on the rough patches I haven’t covered yet, so who am I to dismiss something as easy what someone else is still learning?

Going back to learning a language, a long time ago I saw an A4 paper with all kinds of symbols on it. It was handed out by the school to the parents to teach them to be patient while their kids that started learning to read. The symbols represented letters and the message was that for kids the letters are the same to them as the symbols for us. We are so familiar with the letters, that we have forgotten how difficult it was to learn them when we were kids. It was an interesting way to make the parents aware of what it was like to learn something new and enable them to emphasize with their kids.

In my practice, I see clients taking their first steps on an untraveled road - much like learning a new language. Working with energy and intuition is often a new experience for them, and I guide them in reconnecting with their feelings and inner wisdom. It is something I had to relearn not too long ago myself and I can see it takes time to change your ways and learn something new. Seeing them connecting with it, hearing stories that they are experiencing and following the signs they get with more confidence, is wonderful to see. I am happy to learn alongside them, following my own learning curve and supporting them on their way. If you’re on a similar journey and seeking guidance, feel free to reach out and explore how we can work together to support your growth.

With love,

Anne