Every Day Is A School Day

Every day is a school day. That's a phrase I find myself using more often in my "normal" job these days. I work within the Oil & Gas Industry and, more specifically, within Competence. All in all a very dry, and some might say, boring subject. I, however, enjoy it and have transferred this subject to within my "not-so-normal" job as a therapist and massage tutor. Every day I learn something from the people I come into contact with. Some days I even impart words of wisdom to them!
I had been feeling a little lethargic with my "normal" job due to feeling like I had no impact. A lot of the time, the people I saw were there because they had to be and not because they wanted to be. On one of these "learning" days for me, I was told that I'd actually made the boring subject of Competence quite interesting. "Thank goodness", I thought hoping that some of the post course work would come back in a reasonable state. I finished up my day, headed home & didn't really think any more about the comment. I knew the gent who said it was heading offshore the next day to the middle of the North Sea & I probably wouldn't hear from him for a few months.
Three days later I was called into my Managing Director's office. I was being smiled at as I walked through to meet her & I began to wonder what was wrong! I was very surprised to be told that this gent had been in touch following the 2 day course he'd had with me. I was gobsmacked when I was told that this was his 3rd attempt at this particular qualification & he hadn't gelled with any other trainer the way he had with me. I was dumbfounded when shown the e-mail he had sent to my MD which lavished praise on everything from my subject knowledge and explanations to my willingness to be called each day if that was the support that was required. He had apparently made his feelings clear to his own company's MD also and was now half way through his first assignment.
He has since finished his qualification & is now undertaking a second one with us and, yes, I'm his facilitator for this also. We have learned a reasonable amount from each other. He regarding Competence and me regarding Thailand's housing market and the benefits of 4 week-long holidays! I have shared with him the fact that his compliment (as I now realise it was) really boosted my mood and my self-esteem as I realised that I made a difference to someone. He hadn't realised that his words had meant so much to me when things were feeling particularly flat work-wise.
From a throw away comment to a lovely compliment in one qualification. You really do learn something new everyday and I've learnt never to bury myself so deeply in a task that I miss the impact I have on others. I take time out each day to consider what is going on around me and what is said to me so that I can learn to take a compliment with the intention in which it is shared!