Go to work, clock in, clock out, get home, eat, sleep repeat. Life can get mundane after doing the same thing everyday. The habit of being on auto pilot and wondering how you can’t believe it’s already December can make you feel as if your life is on fast-forward. A simple way to combat the dull life and slow life down is incorporating learning into your day-to-day. Life is full of excitement when you seek learning opportunities. These can come from group activities in your community, books, podcasts, documentaries. The learning opportunities to expand your knowledge are endless.
When exploring learning opportunities, obviously you want to pick something that interests you. If you are unsure, start with anything. Trial and error is the way to go if you are unsure. Start fast to see if you really like it and if you don’t, you will not have wasted time. You’ll notice once you start learning something new, learning opportunities are everywhere. You’ll also notice a shift in your mindset. Instead of your mind being on auto-pilot, it’s now shifted into a growth mindset. Your perception about what the world has to offer will change and you will be receptive when new information comes to you. The interesting part about learning something new is you not only learn the skills but get to learn about yourself along the way. What you love, what you dislike and maybe a new hobby.
One of the side effects of learning is it makes you feel good about yourself and consequently, increases your happiness and makes you curious. You will be more apt asking why things are the way they are or work the way they do. You will start to ponder if it could be done another way. You’ll notice yourself asking more questions and seeing the world unravel in front of you. The world will be your gift and you will be opening it very slowly and getting a glimpse of its intricacies every time you learn something new. You will feel the excitement and wonder.
Saying you want to learn something new is the easy part. Actually learning is the hard part. Time is one of the factors that stops us from learning. However, if learning is planned, it will most likely happen. Learning doesn’t mean sitting at a desk and putting your head in some books. It might be listening to a podcast during your commute, spending ten minutes reading an article on your work break, or setting aside 30 minutes every evening to complete an online training course.
Remember, learning will not always bring success. There are ups and downs when learning something new. When you do not succeed at learning something the first time, it’s not a failure. There is valuable information when you do not succeed that can be used to learn something new about the process and yourself. Learning from your mistakes is a great way not to repeat them and improve for next time. It’s about being open minded and being courageous in asking the questions why it didn’t work out. Discover how you can improve.
Track your progress by keeping a journal of what you learned during the day. When you look back at where you started and see how far you’ve gone, it can be exceptionally exhilarating to see the progress you’ve made.
You’re surrounded by opportunities to learn, you just need to keep your eyes open. This could be learning the name of the barista at your local coffee shop and greeting them the next morning or learning the street names around your place of work.
If you find something you are passionate about during your learning journey, surround yourself with people that have the same passion. This will catapult you into the subject and will encourage you to leap over barriers you thought you couldn’t overcome.
Put yourself in new situations. Get that beginner mind set and learn something new. What are you waiting for? Get out there and learn.
Take care.