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The Value in Learning From The Young

When’s the last time you sat down and tried to learn something new from a young person?  A time in which you actually asked them to show you how to do something?  Whether it be how to draw a dinosaur from a 7-year-old, how to perform a dance move from a 10-year-old, or how to solve a math problem from a 15-year-old — youngsters are literally a treasure trove of knowledge and it’s our loss if we leave this resource untapped.

I think we adults have a tendency to slip into know-it-all mode–wanting to impart our vast and excellent knowledge on the young. Unfortunately, along the way, we miss out on some pretty great learning and relational opportunities.

This reminder to embrace what the young have to offer most recently came to me as my son, a 19-year-old college student living across the country, told me that my gift for mother’s day could either be 1.)  A custom-designed tee-shirt (he makes some really cool stuff!), or 2.) Five 1-hour guitar lessons (redeemable during his time home in the summer).

A little history… I’ve never played an instrument, and have shared with my son and husband over the years that I was probably one of those people that just doesn’t have the “music gene”.  I also was thinking that since my son had never been formally coached on guitar, that he might not be a great person for a beginner to learn from.

Well, in a moment of what I now see as brilliance, I chose his offer of guitar lessons.

Turns out he’s a really good teacher and I’m learning this beautiful Ben Harper song.  So, whether this is the only song I ever learn, or I continue on after he goes back to school, I wouldn’t trade in the experience to learn from this youngster.

So, how about you?  Will you join me this summer in asking a kid to teach you something?  Maybe you have kids at home, grand-kids, nieces/nephews, neighborhood kids, or kids at church.  It’s prime time to be intentional in engaging with these youngsters and learn something new.

Enjoy the fresh perspective!!

Jill xx

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The Importance and Benefits of Being Curious

Are you a naturally curious person?  Are you fascinated with how things work, how they’re created, and why they occur?

If so, did you know that your inquiring mind is helping you to not only learn and retain more about that which interests you, but also to better learn and retain the additional things you learn after your brain is in a state of curiosity?

For example, say you were interested in learning how to make a stained glass window.  As you begin to research and learn how the process works, your curiosity will pay off by you now being able to take what you’ve just learned and create a stained glass window.  The added benefit is that while your mind is still functioning in that state of curiosity, if you were to study up on something that wasn’t interesting to you—maybe your 5th grader’s math homework–you’d be more likely to learn and retain that information as well.

Do you see the significance of stimulating curiosity and how this can benefit all of us in our everyday lives?

Imagine how teachers, parents, business people, artists, students, etc. could use this scientific discovery to their advantage.

Curious about the science of this phenomenon?

It’s all about the dopamine.

Charan Ranganath, neuroscientist at University California, Davis, explains: “This work suggests that once you light that fire of curiosity, you put the brain in a state that’s more conducive to learning. Once you get this ramp-up of dopamine, the brain becomes more like a sponge that’s ready to soak up whatever is happening.”

Now you’ve got the scientific backing for the importance of curiosity, so I’d like to add a few points that I think are important too:

Curiosity helps us to look past ourselves.  By nature, we are self-centered.  Being curious about other things and other people is good for us and will make us better people.

Curiosity deepens relationships.  Do you know your spouse’s, your child’s, or your best friend’s favorite food, book, movie, color, word?  If not, ask them.  Ask them what their dreamy-ist dream is.  Ask them about the most painful time in their life.  Ask them about the happiest day in their life.  The more you know, the closer you’ll grow.

Curiosity keeps you actively engaged with life.  There are so many fun, wonderful, amazing, and even sad things in this world that are just waiting for you to discover them.  Your curiosity, if you allow it to, will introduce you to events, opportunities, and experiences that you’ll never forget.

Two things I’d love for you to accomplish today:

  1. Try out the following experiment: Stimulate your curiosity with something you’re interested in and while your brain is all dopamined up, switch to something not so interesting and see how you learn and retain.While you’re at it, make sure to allow this experiment to truly benefit you by picking a real-world boring or uninteresting thing to learn about.  We all have things we need to learn around the house or at the office that just don’t get us excited.
  2. “Interview” someone you love today. Ask all the good questions and have fun!

As always, I appreciate you spending time with me here today.

Please share my blog with your friends, family, and co-workers.

Have a great day!

Jill xx

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Never Stop Learning

 

“The greatest enemy of learning is knowing.” John Maxwell

What do you think about Maxwell’s quote?  It’s a little counter-intuitive, isn’t it?

Knowing is good, right?

Socrates said the only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing.

Hmmmm….

The point Maxwell and Socrates are trying to make is to never stop learning.

The moment we claim to know all that we need to know is the moment we should fear, not celebrate.  There is, and always will be, more to learn.

One of the most beloved and revered coaches of all time, John Wooden, put it this way, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

When’s the last time you learned something new?  Are you working on something now, or has your life grown a bit stagnant?

If nothing’s coming to mind, this may be the perfect time to commit to learning something.

Maybe in reading this, something popped in your mind immediately that you’d like to get started on.  If so, go get ‘em!

Need some inspiration to get your “learning” juices flowing?  Here’s a list of 20 ideas to get you started:

  • Learn a new language.
  • Learn to cook. Too broad?  Learn to cook Asian food.
  • Learn to plant and grow a vegetable garden.
  • Learn a new productivity system to be more effective. (I’m working on this one now.)
  • Learn to play a musical instrument.
  • Learn to play tennis.
  • Learn to blog. (I did!)
  • Learn to sail.
  • Learn to listen. (Don’t laugh, this one can take a lifetime for some.)
  • Learn to take good photos.
  • Learn to tile a floor.
  • Learn public speaking. (I tried this and bailed after a couple months.  Bailing can be ok for the right reasons.)
  • Learn to build wooden birdhouses.
  • Learn something new to help your business grow.
  • Learn to budget and manage your money well.  (Working on this one too.)
  • Learn a photo editing software to “play” with your photos.
  • Learn to knit or crochet. (I’ve always wanted to do this!  Saving for retirement.)
  • Learn to whittle.
  • Learn to upholster a piece of furniture.
  • Learn to restore old books.
  • Learn to __________________. You fill in this one.

The possibilities are endless.  Find something that sounds fun–even challenging–and go for it!

How to Start/Continue the Learning Process Today:

  • Read. Read. Read. Learn from the “masters.”
  • Take an online class or a class at your local community college, community center, craft guild, music center, etc.
  • Ask a friend to teach you something they know well.
  • Ask questions of those you are learning from. Lots of questions!
  • Listen to podcasts. There are podcasts on pretty much any topic you can imagine.
  • Browse the web for DIY how-to sites, pick a project, and get to work.

If any of this seems overwhelming, just focus on taking one step at a time.  Always keep your end goal in site, but break down the steps to get there into manageable pieces.

I’d love to hear what new things you have been or will be learning about.  Please share in the comments section below.

Have a great day!

Jill xx

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