This past weekend, I have been considering what makes me learn…What is it in life that causes me to reevaluate myself and reconsider whom I am and what I am doing. I wish I could say that I am constantly changing–that is, I look at my life and adjust my behavior based on what I learn, but that’s a work in progress.
1. I learn by watching.
I constantly look at everything. (Except when I’m asleep, of course). There is so much to be learned by watching–watching what people do. Watching what they say. See how situations are handled. See how people are treated.
2. I learn by reading.
I read the news. I read blogs. I read the Bible. I read books. I read magazines. I all of the times. Reading provides volumes of information ready to be ingested.
3. I learn by asking.
Sometimes (a lot of the time), I simply don’t know. I have watched and read, but I still haven’t learned what I needed to learn. Now is the time to ask. Asking does not mean you’re stupid; asking does not mean you’re not able. It simlply means you acknowledge the fact that you do not know everything, and you are appealing to someone with more knowledge. As I have been looking at bikes for the past few weeks, after reading reviews and looking at parts, I asked a friend who knows bikes. Why? Because he could explain it to me and help me to understand the more practical aspects of trail riding.
4. I learn by doing.
After you take care of the basic information, you’re ready to test out what you know. Put it in action. See how it goes. If you’re successful, great; if not, see the next step…
5. I learn by failing.
I can honestly say that I learn the most through failure. Failure pushes me to “try harder.” I don’t try harder for the sake of trying harder, but because my failure indicates that I need more work. Every failure causes me to reevaluate who I am and what I am doing. Do I need to consider trying this course of action? Do I need to adapt my life? Do I need to research, practice, and try again? Who knows, but failure makes me think about all of the possibilities.
In all forms of learning, you have to evaluate everything. Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” And so if you see all of the things in life and don’t relate them to your life, are you wasting your time? And are you really being beneficial?