If we learn something valuable, but it doesn’t lead to changes in behavior or tactics, have we really learned it? We can learn interesting facts and trivia. But if the only benefit is that it helps us win trivia games, is it true learning?
True learning goes from the head to the heart. It helps us reconsider previous beliefs. It opens our eyes to new possibilities. True learning takes the humility to reconsider if our previous beliefs still serve us well.
Otherwise, if learning something confirms our previous biases, is it really helpful? It can be threatening to learn something new that changes our outlook and actions. But it can be transforming and effective as well.
There is always something to learn! It doesn’t stop once you graduate from school. If you had a tough time and had to leave formal education, it doesn’t mean you aren’t cut out to learn new things. It may just mean the education system wasn’t a good fit for your learning style.
Even if you graduated with honors, you didn’t learn it all. There is always something to learn. The world changes. New discoveries are made. You may be at a maturity level that allows you to learn what you weren’t prepared for previously.
If you are a parent, you know there is always something to learn about your child. Their personalities are unique. They grow and each new stage has new wonders and challenges to discover.
In the workplace, business changes before you have a chance to fully know what the last stage was. Just when you think you mastered an industry, new opportunities appear.
No matter how young or old you are, keep your desire to learn. There is no lack of material. You may be surprised to discover how fascinating a new subject or even an old one is today!
Training doesn’t get any easier. But if we are diligent, we can get more effective. Finding success in an endeavor may seem easy from the outside. But it’s the grind, as Daniel Pink wrote, that one has to do every day. It’s getting up early and putting in the miles.
Be patient and train
When I trained for a marathon, I searched for different solutions and different training methods. If there was a solution that would have made it easy to run a marathon without any training, I probably would have stumbled across it. If such a solution existed, I would have been both happy and disappointed. I would have been happy that I would not have had to put in the hours. But I would have been disappointed that the effort was taken away from me. What is the point of a marathon, after all, if it takes little sweat and effort?
Today, all of us have been thrust into a COVID-19 marathon. All of us wish that this crisis would end tomorrow. But it doesn’t look likely. All businesses and employees will have to adjust in some way. Like it or not, we are now all required to train for the next level.
Patience does not mean we simply wait this out. If I just waited for the day of the marathon without training for it, I would have never crossed the finish line. While we wait, we must train. We must prepare.
Turn a crisis into an opportunity
Since we have all been sidelined in some way, how are you using that time to train?
How are you training physically?
How are you training mentally?
How are you training spiritually?
We all have an opportunity to do the work and to make a difference today. Grind through the tasks. Learn from them and become better through them. Training doesn’t get any easier. But the results are worth it. You may not hear a stadium full of applause. But it will be worth it in the long run.
I love this quote from Robert Half because that is essentially why I wanted to make blogging a regular practice. I have learned several lessons as I have taught over the years.
The preparation to teach is almost as important as the lesson.
If I can’t adequately explain it to someone (especially a nine-year-old), I probably don’t adequately understand it myself.
It is okay to veer from a lesson plan. It isn’t the Gospel.
All learning needs a little entertainment. If I am boring, I am not really teaching.
I can learn much more from teaching elementary than adults.
Grown-ups will hide if they are not engaged.
I child will have no problem telling me if I am boring
No matter how much I know about the subject, there is always something more to learn.
New discoveries make learning fun for the teacher and the student.
I am taking a hiatus from teaching elementary kids and I am already missing it. I get so much from teaching and engaging with others. If you have never tried to teach another, I would encourage you to give it a try.
I get it. Some people don’t like change… most people don’t like change! It’s uncomfortable. We’ve worked hard to get where we are and we want to keep it. We love our kids and we don’t want them to ever move away, or grow into adults, for that matter. Change can be tough.
But if we resist change, does that mean we resist learning? Does it mean our growth is stunted? If we’re the same people we were twenty years ago, is that healthy? Is it really possible to remain in the twentieth century?
Yesterday is gone. It’s a memory tainted with today’s biases. What worked then may not work now. At the very least, it may need to be modified. We will either learn and embrace change, or we will resist change and fade away. Let’s learn today and make the changes that keep us relevant.
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