“If you want to become an astronomer and sit down and cry ‘Astronomy! Astronomy!’, it will not come… You must go to an observatory, take a telescope, study the stars and planets… Every science must have its own methods… The sages of all countries, ages, pure and unselfish men, declare they’ve found some truth higher than what the scenes can bring to us… Before we’ve done their methods, we’re not rational in denying the truth.”
— Swami Vivekananda
We don’t struggle to learn because we lack intellect, but because we evaluate every new idea from our limited perspective.
We reject methods that could make us smarter, faster, or better because they don’t fit our model of the world. Or we try half-heartedly, fail, and use that as an excuse to say, “I told you it wouldn’t work.”
Of course, you can’t immediately understand how or why a different approach works. (If you did, would it be different?) Nor can you get optimal results if you try an approach out of sheer obligation. To know for sure, you have to commit fully to the process. Let go of all inhibitions and apprehensions, and surrender to it.
Day 1 will feel tough. But the end of week two will feel simpler. And you will feel like a different person. Even if the exact process doesn’t work for you, you will know what to tweak. That’s when you’ve taken something, added your touch, and made it your own.
Sticking to rigid beliefs keeps you in the same place (which is as good as moving backward in a world that’s constantly moving ahead). Let your mind feel curious—that is a step forward in itself.