School of Life
Gone are the days of double maths and endless tedious homework assignments.
Learning can be exciting and fun and bring you a sense of purpose.
Try something new
Trying something new keeps life interesting. When I lived in California I would visit the local farmer’s market and each week buy one fruit or vegetable that I’d never tasted or cooked with before. Challenge yourself to try something new every day for a month.
Revisit your past
How about rediscovering an old interest? Think about what you loved to do as a child or the dreams you had as a teenager. After practising ballet for many years in childhood I decided to pick it up again in my mid-twenties. I was nowhere near as flexible as before but found that I could tap right back in to that inner state of grace.
Sign up for a course
Now that you’re all grown up you can choose your own curriculum. Pick a topic that you’re interested in, that you enjoy doing and that will benefit you in your career or private life. I became a coach after taking a home-study class out of pure interest in the subject. I had no intention initially to change career, but several months in I decided it was the job for me.
Take on a different responsibility at work
Continuing to stretch your boundaries keeps work interesting and enables you to grow professionally. If something isn’t quite working in your department, bring the solution instead of the problem to your boss. Ask about temporary job swaps to build team empathy and communication or find out if you can shadow a more senior member of the team.
Fix a bike
OK, so I’m not quite that Dutch, yet. Whilst the two-wheeler is my main form of transportation I’ve not yet mastered the art of bicycle maintenance (thankfully we have a great little bike shop nearby). Consider where you want to become more resourceful. In my single years it became necessary for me to be able to handle a power drill (those shelves wouldn’t hang themselves) and be able to re-wire a plug. If you’ve always relied on someone else to fix things, why not have a go yourself (please be sensible –electricians exist for a reason!).
Learn to play an instrument or to cook your favourite food
Unleash your inner creativity. And visualise your success. Playing guitar round the campfire on your next camping holiday; having friends over for dinner to sample your culinary delights. Learning new activities opens you up to new experiences. And when done in a group can foster feelings of camaraderie and a sense of connectedness.
Above all, set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.
Top Tips for Learning
Experiential Learning from Albert Both
Quotes on Learning