Everyone is Teachable — If They Want to Be
My partner sent me a slide he was working on once. The design was nothing different from a colouring book. Purple on the cover page, black text on a blue background, and green plastered somewhere in the middle of the slides.
For a moment, I thought of sending it back to him with detailed instructions on what to do, but love.
Someone say "love".
The love I had for this human wouldn't let me stress him any further. So, I opened my Microsoft PowerPoint and started working on his slides from scratch. Six hours later, I sent the new slides I worked on, pointing out the corrections I made. I remember telling him the following:
- Use consistent colours on all your slides.
- Use dark coloured texts on light backgrounds for contrast.
- Ensure you align your design elements properly to enhance the aesthetic.
- Stick to a single font.
Tell me why I received an email a few minutes ago. Attached to it was a simple minimalist design made by this human after my heart. He ensured he applied every single correction I pointed out some weeks ago in his new design. I was deeply impressed.
In the course of our conversation, he mentioned this:
It took my mind back to something I discussed with a friend recently: Everyone is teachable, if they wish to be. I've noticed that in some romantic and platonic relationships, many people hesitate to correct the other partner when they make mistakes. They make excuses:
- It's a gender thing.
- They'd feel offended.
- It will appear like I'm trying to control them.
So they excuse critical issues to be a minor issue. They don't wish to cause the other person emotional discomfort. They don't want to stir up conflict. So they turn a blind eye. Acting like it doesn't matter.
While I understand that they are petty errors that deserve to be ignored, but why ignore the ones that cause you pain? Why refuse to tell the other that one thing on your mind.
Everyone is teachable — if they want to be. If a person can make adjustments based on something his partner said, till the point that he can still hear his partner's head while he worked, then anyone can improve themselves when you point out their flaws (if they are willing).
Thank you for the support.
Wishing you a blissful weekend. 🤍
You are truly right. Everyone is teachable if only the person is willing to learn.
Learning is part of life especially if we give ourselves the opportunity.
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Beautiful piece. Everyone is indeed teachable only if they really want to be Thanks for sharing.
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I would say love and deeper love!
What you did was not just love in words but in action, and also an act of investment.
When correction comes without patience and tolerance, it can be like weapons formed against one, which certainly will not prosper. It is destructive criticism.
Constructive criticism is love with evidence. You showed him what it means to be better. It is emotional intelligence in practice.
I had a friend who sometimes throws corrections on people, especially those she expects to be better, still on the quest to help them improve. At times, she leaves them to figure it out themselves. Her intention was good, but her approach often led to tension. It took humility and maturity for me to first be reachable before being teachable.
Being a victim of this experience, I came to understand that while everyone can be teachable not everyone is reachable. Then, I deliberately began treating everyone that I think needs corrections like babies.
In learning how to talk and walk anew, I hold their hands gently and mold their words carefully, teaching them how to walk and talk without dragging them or leaving them to figure it out by themselves. At times, I get stuck in the valley and shadows of repetition, yet I choose patience and love over anger.
With this approach applied, I believe people would become more teachable and reachable in this world, because who on earth would not like to be loved?
Finally, you did not just do this, nor just help him design better slides, but you also designed a healthy way to grow together. I'm certain he will do the same for others.
And together, we grow.
I would say love and deeper love!
What you did was not just love in words but in action, and also an act of investment.
When correction comes without patience and tolerance, it can be like weapons formed against one, which certainly will not prosper. It is destructive criticism.
Constructive criticism is love with evidence. You showed him what it means to be better. It is emotional intelligence in practice.
I had a friend who sometimes throws corrections on people, especially those she expects to be better, still on the quest to help them improve. At times she leaves them to figure it out themselves. Her intention was good, but her approach often led to tension. It took humility and maturity for me to first be reachable before being teachable.
Being a victim of this experience, I came to understand that while everyone can be teachable not everyone is reachable. Then, I deliberately began treating everyone that I think needs corrections like babies.
In learning how to talk and walk anew, I hold their hands gently and mold their words carefully, teaching them how to walk and talk without dragging them or leaving them to figure it out by themselves. At times, I get stuck in the valley and shadows of repetition, yet I choose patience and love over anger.
With this approach applied, I believe people would become more teachable and reachable in this world, because who on earth would not like to be loved?
Finally, you did not just do this, nor just help him design better slides, but you also designed a healthy way to grow together. I'm certain he will do the same for others.
And together, we grow.