Taking Care of the Change

I'm very tempted to let you in on a big secret. Then I realize it's my ego talking, as a need to prove something.

This has been a week crammed full of learning experiences. What other people would call stress--demands on my life and challenges present to me--have been valuable opportunities for learning important lessons. As my most important mentor has told me, "Maturity is the ability to deal with frustration alone."

I made the mistake at first thinking that meant I had to deal with it all alone, without help, without advice. No, that was my need to prove I could do it. There are different levels of maturity. I realized over time that even more mature people can deal with frustration and still count on others.

The big secret is one of the most valuable lessons we can ever learn. Since it's so valuable, it's worth something to learn and apply. Perhaps some of you are smart enough to guess, perhaps some of you are smart enough to ask. Which group is the smartest one?

That's not a trick question.