Confucius says “If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my

teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them and the bad points

of the other and correct them in myself”. This is one of the great lessons of life.

According to Confucius everyone around us is a lesson, and we should try to learn everything we

can from them. There are some things that we learn from books, by going to classes,

watching presentations, listening to lectures. Other things we learn from people by observing,

analyzing, imitating, practicing. When we’re open to learning from others,

we benefit from their experience as well as our own and we can inherit their wisdom and knowledge.

. You can learn from others both

directly and indirectly. Direct learning takes place when you ask people how they do something,

listen to their answers, and try to imitate what they did. A good example is asking friends how

they find time to read 1 book a week Indirect learning is when you observe

someone doing something and imitate the procedure the person follows. Suppose you

notice that your colleague doesn’t eat in the office, but instead goes out and eats

his lunch sitting on the bench in the park. This seems like a good strategy, so you imitate it.

The best way to

learn from people around you is by having friends who are better than yourself. Your friends are

a guiding light to your future as you are often headed where they already are. Therefore, surround

yourself with friends who are going where you want to go, who share your values and convictions,

and drive each other to be the best self you can be. Learning from others is not a passive process,

but one that requires work and commitment on our part. So pick out qualities in others which you

admire and implement them, and use negative qualities as reminders of where you don’t

want to go or get rid of bad traits you might have yourself. There is always something to be learned.