Watch One, Do One, Teach One

Using Focus to Improve Your Life (Part 2 of 3)

 

 

I had never heard the phrase “watch one, do one, teach one” until earlier this year. It is a maxim that has been around for years. I know I am not the first one to talk about it and I certainly will not be the last, but nonetheless I felt it was a perfect next step in our three part series.

My boss is the one who first told me about this concept. He explained how he watched his daughter go through the process of becoming a photographer. He watched her go to photography workshops where they would learn from an expert and then practice the concepts they learned. Next thing my boss knew, his daughter was teaching him how to make his photos better when shooting family pictures or whatever it was.

Watch one. Do one. Teach one.

That is the next step that I want for you to take away when you use focus to improve your life.

If you missed the first part in the series, you can find it here. I highly recommend starting at the beginning and sticking with me until the end.

Part one in this process was learning to learn. Figuring out what it is you want to learn and then diving in. Now with this step, you will need to watch others and begin doing it.

[box] If you haven’t figured it out yet, the next step in this process is to teach.[/box]

I think Phil Collins may have sung it best on the soundtrack for the Disney movie, Tarzan, “In learning you will teach and in teaching you will learn.”

Let us take leadership as an example. You can practice leadership and be a leader all you want, but there is a unique perspective that comes from teaching leadership. I am sure our Leadership expert, Leo, can attest to this. I am sure that Leo knew plenty about leadership before he began blogging about it. He has a lot to say on the subject, but as he began to write and teach the subject, I guarantee there came a refinement process within his learnings about leadership. Actually, I would bet all of the writers here have learned a thing or two about their topics since becoming teachers on this blog.

Heck, I know from my personal experience with blogging that I know far more know about focus and time management than I ever did before I began blogging. And that is only possible because I put myself out there as a teacher. I have done more research on the topic than ever before and now I am on a platform where others can find me and dispute with me, agree with me, or bring new ideas to my attention.

I learn from these people no matter what the response.

As you teach you are exposed to tons of new ideas. Instead of it just being personal, teaching opens you up to the public. You are teaching others, but as you interact with one another (although you may be the expert) new ideas and voices pop up all over the place. Someone says something they heard or learned somewhere else, but it has never crossed your path.

The amount of information and knowledge out there is infinite. You will never know everything and by teaching you are opening yourself up to a whole different world, which was previously unavailable. So, do something you have never done before. Be intentional with teaching something to someone. Focus on communicating your clear message and hope for a positive response. Even negative feedback is a great learning experience!

Don’t let fear hold you back. There are more ways now than ever before to teach other people. You can do it anonymously from a blog or a message board. Or you can try doing it in person. The choices are endless and the only thing holding you back, is you.

Choose to focus not on just watching and doing things, but teaching them as well. Chances are you know far more than you let on. And more often than not you have something of value to teach or share with another person. But, unless you take the risk of putting yourself out there you will never know the value that can be added to your life by teaching another.

 

Be sure to check in next Saturday for the finale to this series. And please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions with me in the comments.