Just the other day, I came across  a quote that said: "when we are ready to learn and grow, we will be ready to listen to and act upon knowledge we glean from a teacher who is already in front of us, and perhaps has always been there, but we were not open to receive", and I felt it. 

Just the other day I was listening to Pastor Steven Furtick and Bishop TD Jakes speak about being able to adapt in an environment that is foreign, One thing I could grasp from the conversation was this: "Become friends with people who are not your age, Hang out with people whose first language is not the same as yours. Get to know someone who does not come from your social class. This is how you see the world. This is how you grow". 

One of the challenges I had to  face in both my personal and professional life was the regimen of being stagnant.  I found myself in a place where I was comfortable with what was familiar to me and I rejected anything that was foreign. To be in a comfort zone is to be in a dangerous place. 

In order to get out of my comfort zone, I had to shift my mindset. In the words of Bishop TD Jakes: "Your mind is your battle ground". Instead of getting annoyed when someone speaks a language I don't understand, I allow the person to express themselves in their mother's tongue and I pretend to understand what they saying. This is how you learn a new language. 

In one of his interview,  the legendary Jackie Chan spoke about meeting the former Queen of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II. He spoke about how he had rehearsed the following sentence: " Your royal highness" and instead of saying your royal highness he said: ro ro ro and bowed his head. 

See the Queen did not laugh and instead she kept conversing with him and although he didn't understand a word she was saying, he kept nodding his head and smiled. Both Jackie Chan and the Queen overcame the language barrier and this shows how open minded they are. 

To be successful in life, you really need to adapt and be willing to embrace change. See the world from a different perspective. This is the only way to grow.