Learning is one of my lifelong passions. As far as I can remember, I've always loved learning as a child, in school, not so much for the social interactions, but mostly for the knowledge I had access to (there was no Internet in my days!). It helped me understand the world around me and what was possible.
Learning is not only to understand the world around us, our history, our beliefs, where we come from, how things work, but also to understand yourself, and how you want to fit in in all that. It is very hard to make an informed decision when you are not aware of the context.
Learning expands your knowledge, possibilities and horizons. Throughout my life, I have retrained many times in order to be able to work in conditions and environments that would fit my lifestyles at different times of my life.
Learning new things can be scary because we do not know what to do, and we fear that not knowing will make us look and feel weak, inadequate, imperfect. This is very often the main cause of fear of trying new things for many people. When you are in your comfort zone, you know what to do and you know that you have a far greater chance of success, projecting greater value of yourself to others, as well as yourself, bringing confidence and a higher sense of self-esteem. Doesn't it feel good when you know you are good at something, that you can do something effortlessly? So why on earth would you get out of that beloved, easy and safe comfort zone? Why risk being exposed to the unknown, where anything can happen, none of it we are prepared for? What can happen? What will I lose if I fail? We, humans, are creatures of habits and moving towards the unknown just seems and feels so very unnatural. There are so many things we cannot control in our lives, why move away from the things we can actually control? There is just no sense in that.
But learning new things not only helps us increase our flexibility in life (like I have done in my work life to suit my circumstances), as the more we learn, the more we know, the more we know, the more we can do, and the more we can contribute and help others, as well as ourselves.
It also strengthens the health of our brain. Indeed as we learn new things, our brain creates new pathways, strengthening each time we practice the new activity. We get used to it after a while, the pathways are strong, and it becomes almost a habit, and that is when we challenge ourselves, learn more, go deeper, to create even more pathways. This keeps our brain active in a healthy way, alive, and it has been demonstrated in recent years by many scientific studies that learning new things on a regular basis can help prevent degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer's. How many elderly people do you know who have been active all throughout their life through work, and when retirement comes, spend their days aimlessly and wither away? Lack of challenge will lead to our brain becoming less and less active. Constant GROWTH throughout our life is essential for our health and survival, on many levels.
The new things you learn do not have to be big like climbing Mount Everest or learning medicine, it can be researching a topic you want to learn more about and take notes (any learning needs to be active, not passive, to be memorised efficiently. Taking notes is a great way to move away from passive learning to active learning), practising a new type of crafts, hobby or new technique, starting an exercise routine, a new diet, or even trying a new recipe or new foods. New experiences will create new points of reference for you as well, new memories.
The beauty of learning new things is that you are always in a beginner's mindset. Very often when we learn something, our learning experience is affected by what we think we already know on the subject, which prevents us to be totally open and receptive to the learning. Our mind and learning are clouded by the misconceptions and assumptions we have. The beginner's mind lets you be completely open to receive the information, enabling a better retention in your memory.
Listing all the new things I have learnt in my lifetime would be just too long and too boring for you to read, and for me to recollect. Here are some of the recent new things I have been learning:
- trying new mixes of fruits and vegs for my daily morning green smoothie once each week at least;
- reading a variety of new books (as opposed to re-reading faves, which I am quite guilty of);
- learning Japanese with my son (very early stage!);
- reviewing my progress on goals and life in general on a regular basis (weekly) and making adjustments;
- learning Sashiko (Japanese embroidery technique);
- doing walks in nature as often as I can and notice something different each time and take a photo if I can (I walk the same route each time as there is only one park where I live that I can manage with my asthma);
- learning aromatherapy, life coaching, and about energy healing;
- trying new art supplies on different media;
- practising bookbinding;
- watching new TV series (recently, I have started watching various Japanese animes with my son, which is very different to what I usually watch. It is also a great opportunity for quality time together);
- trying new musics to listen to (at the moment I'm into bird songs);
- trying new scents and combinations in my essential oils diffuser;
- trying a new cookies recipe and making adjustments/ experimenting with extra ingredients each time;
- starting the Jennibellie Lunar class to learn to work with lunar cycles and have fun with it (I have never learnt about this before, not even in school);
- trying new herbal teas;
- learning to sew different items, by hand and machine (pencil cases, pouches, my new projects are to sew cats beds for my furry babies, a pillow and pillow case with a sashiko piece attached to it, and a Haori - a Japanese "jacket" worn over a kimono - without using patterns, so I have to work out the patterns by myself, using my own measurements);
- learning remote access for work;
- updating systems at work for quality standards continuous improvement;
- having a mindful cup of tea at work to help me slow down and recharge (it only takes a few seconds);
- planning meals for my lunches as I now avoid carbs during the day (I used to have leftovers from the previous night to bring to work for my lunches, usually carbs, so this is brand new to me, preparing meals without carbs);
- trying new healthy practices like Tai Chi, energy healing and breathwork;
- started a daily journaling practice, as well as checking in and cheching out;
- trying new types of meditations, courses and visualisations on the Insight Timer app.
What new thing are you gonna try this week?
Have fun with it :-)
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