Do you struggle to learn anything new? Does your brain feel so full that new material has no space to enter? Do you give up when things become “too hard” (the benchmark for which is, honestly, pretty low)?
The ability to learn new things leads to self-growth. Man has been called a building animal, a working animal, and a fighting animal. But all those definitions are incomplete or false. Man is a learning animal, and the essence of the species is encoded in that simple term. This learning has contributed hugely to our growth. [Source: Mastery]
Yet, the very skill that separates us from other species is what we’re struggling with today. Especially when learning is mission-critical: The World Economic Forum has declared that by 2025, 50 percent of the workforce will need to be reskilled.
Yet, we struggle to pay attention. We’re distracted 24/7. And when we do try to learn, we have this constant voice telling us that we’re not good enough, that we’re dumb. All this is getting in our way of self-growth.
How You Can Fuel Self-Growth
If this is how you feel, let me give you solace: you’re not dumb. You’re not a loser, nor do you have ADHD. (And I’m not patronizing you.) But certain problems have become dominant in your life. Once you get them out of the way, pursuing your self-improvement goals will become easier.
Let’s discuss the three most critical ones among them and how you can overcome those challenges.
#1. The Trap of Comparison
Comparison is the thief of joy. In possessions, and in learning.
You struggle when you approach a new concept or principle with the baggage of what you already know. Obviously you can’t reconcile both, especially if the learning challenges a belief you hold dear. This doesn’t just suck the joy, it also gets in the way of unlearning, which is first step in learning.
How do you solve this? By approaching each new topic with a fresh mind.
Think of last vacation you took to a completely new place. You had not seen it before, so you approached every experience afresh. This, in turn, helped you understand the place, the culture, and its raison d’etre.
Likewise, when you’re learning, keep your memory aside and focus 100 percent on the subject. Once you’ve understood it, you can do whatever you want, for comparison won’t dilute your knowledge. (Rather, it could strengthen it.)
Remember, changing your mind is a sign of self-growth, learning, and strength.
#2. Choosing The Easy Way Out
Another challenge is the craving for ease. It’s not easy to learn anything new, but we want it to be. We want others to do the mental heavy-lifting for us, which shows in the deluge of books, podcasts, and videos that oversimplify things.
Such oversimplification comes at a price. People withhold important information or make something that’s not easy appear like it is. (Think of the scams that make it sound like making money in the stock market is.)
Look.
No one can do the thinking for you. It’s on you to interpret something. Put what you learn into action and watch the results closely: what happened, and also how you felt while doing it—good, bad, guilty, tested, stressed…
It doesn’t matter how long this takes—learning is a lifelong process. And such learning is real education, the type that brings self-knowledge.
#3. Instant Distraction
The third reason why we can’t learn anything new is that we’ve trained ourselves to be distracted. Forget working, even while walking, cooking, or chilling, our phones are always on.
A distracted mind is one that’s on top of everything: Work, Netflix, Instagram, music, books, podcasts, trends. But such a mind is really seeking an escape. It cannot observe things, connect unrelated dots, and develop a deep understanding. Nor can it figure out what’s important for it. To do all that, the mind needs silence.
Cultivate whitespace in your day. Be comfortable with doing nothing, with getting bored. When you’re tired, go for a short walk in the garden without your phone. (The world will not end in 10 minutes.)
It’s in these moments that the brain gets flashes of insight that could change your life. Don’t deprive yourself of them.
Summary
Learning and unlearning are deeply personal processes, and they are integral to your self-growth. Books, teachers, and experts can guide you, but only you can chart your path.
If you want to become smarter, sharper, and better, just keep three steps in mind:
- Approach every new topic without the baggage of memories. When you don’t compare what you know with what you are learning, your fundamentals become better.
- Don’t depend on others for the heavy-lifting. Apply what you learn and observe the results. That is how you interpret topics for yourself.
- Create whitespace in your day. When your mind is silent, it can connect unrelated dots and have Aha! moments.
What challenges do you grapple with while learning? And how do you overcome them?