We can learn by ourselves, or learn with others. But what does it mean learning with others?
Credit to Liane Metzler in Unsplash.com
It can mean we learn together, helping each other. Or it can mean we count on others while we’re learning. The later is accountability. Someone who helps us being on our learning track, or be ourselves the accountability partners helping others.
Accountability shows how deeply relational learning is. But I wonder if people are willing to do it. Nobody seems to have time for anything. And helping others not only comes from the heart, but also from the way we manage time and attention. Or, how we are willing to let others be part of our time and attention.
We may think that spending time helping others is a waste, but if you put yourself in the skin of the other, would you believe the same?
My experience is to embrace with flexibility whenever a friend, colleague, or family asks our help when learning something while being free to say “not right now, but how soon could we meet?” A learning opportunity for those we help can be a learning opportunity for ourselves because relational learning is reciprocal. And we never lose time and attention when we learn.