I’ve noticed that hurrying is a habit.

There’s a comfortable walking pace — and then there’s the faster, “I’m either running late or being chased by someone” version.

There’s a comfortable driving speed, and then there’s following the car in front of you too closely, running yellow lights, and drumming your fingers on the steering wheel impatiently whenever you happen to be stopped.

If you were to break your leg, it would be a terrible idea to try to walk on it.

The bones would be unable to bear your weight, and you would likely cause additional damage just by trying.

Once the broken bone is realigned and healing has begun, you would likewise disrupt the process if you were to attempt to walk without the assistance of crutches.

In teaching or coaching, there are moments in which you sense that it would be counterproductive to push further.

Maybe the student has just had a breakthrough after a period of intense effort. Or maybe you get the feeling that she’s already pushing as hard as she can.

Or perhaps, it just feels fragile. A question or suggestion, no matter how gentle or well-intentioned, could cause the whole thing to disappear, like breath upon a snowflake.

Some of us have positive associations with learning, because we have had mostly positive experiences associated with it.

And some of us have had mostly negative experiences around learning, leading to negative associations.

Who we are today as learners is the result of all of these experiences. It’s understandable that those of us who have had mostly negative experiences are hesitant to trust and engage. But there’s hope.