News Flash: You Don’t Have to Teach Everything You Learn

“You know, that warning sign is a load of bologna — it would never stick in a court of law….” I’d tell anyone who’d listen while I was in law school.

Going through law school was like getting the thin plastic film attached to your brand new iPhone peeled off the world. I saw so many things around me clearly for the first time — even though they’d been there the whole time.

The parking lot sign saying it wasn’t their responsibility if your car gets damaged (it is).

The warning label on my hair straightener (products liability).

The fast-talking warning at the end of every TV commercial (disclaimer), the list went on.

Everywhere I went, I annoyingly pointed out what I saw and what the legal principle was behind it. (You’re right – I was exactly as much fun to hang out with as you imagine 😂)

My mom said the same thing when she went to med school at age 40, with two little kids hanging off her single-mom hip. That lady’s mole! That guy’s coloring! That wet cough! She was constantly teaching us what we saw & heard.

At least for 20-year-old Sam in law school — I 100% didn’t actually understand what I was “teaching” others about the signs & warnings I saw. I hadn’t spent an actual hour practicing law, and I hadn’t yet had my tush handed to me by a Judge (that came many, many times later 😆).

After I’d spent years researching, writing, arguing, meeting with clients, re-writing, having my writing torn apart — I started to understand the actual cause and meaning behind legal principles I’d only ever read about.

So it’s no surprise that when I started my own online business, I felt the need to teach every single thing I learned too. First with my health coaching biz, then with my legal business I started in 2017.

I was so afraid that if I didn’t teach everything, and share everything in real time, I’d be left behind. Gone. Forgotten.

So what the heck does all this have to do with you and your business?

I’ll tell ya!

You don’t have to teach everything you learn in your business, now or ever. You don’t have to document every single thing you’re doing, or teach every single thing you’re learning about.

This industry puts so much pressure on us (and we accept it) to know and do all.

But what ends up happening is teaching things we don’t truly understand yet. Things we might have memorized or heard from someone else — but we haven’t truly embodied, processed or taken the time to “learn the mechanism” (as my Mom says).

I see a lot of “experts” who are really good at identifying correlation — but have no idea about the causation of what they’re talking about.

The pressure to keep up and share everything in real time is keeping you from embodying and processing what you’re learning fully.

And that not only exposes you legally — it’s not good for business, either.

In this shortie episode of my podcast, On Your Terms, I’m giving you permission to slow down and do things on your own terms.

I’m releasing you from the pressure to teach every single thing you learn.

🎙 Listen to Episode 68 “Permission to Slow Down & Do Things On Your Terms” of On Your Terms here!👇

PS. If you feel like the need to teach every single thing you’re learning is slowing down your business, listen to my new episode of On Your Terms today. Listen on my website, Spotify, or Apple now.