11.22.22
I have seen a lot of focus lately by many in the self-development space on learning faster. Do you know how you learn, and do you look at it as something that you should work on improving? I do not have a 5- step plan on how to learn more quickly, but I do know the importance on broadening your horizons and looking at the way you learn to see if you might not be seeing the full picture.
When I was in high school, I will be honest, I did not focus on my education to enhance my learning. I often did what I needed to do to keep my parents at bay and not get in trouble. I do remember a high school history teacher that gave essay question tests. It seemed that I never had the right information in the answer to the questions and I was studying. I was frustrated. I had developed a mentor relationship with one of the other teachers in the same department and I went to him and asked how to study for her test. The answer was amazingly simple. He said to study each topic to answer who, what, where, when, why and how. It helped me to focus on the material enough to build a picture of what was going on in history with those 6words. The next essay test and all the essay tests after were scored at 100% or even higher when she gave extra credit. Who knew it could be so simple?
As I moved into college, I began to struggle again. I began a friendship that was revolutionary to me. Lisa was my best friend in college, and she was a A+ student with all sorts of honors. She casually mentioned that college was like a game. She said that I needed to be strategic in my planning and classes. She said to find the professors that I like to learn from and pick the classes in my degree program that they teach. Build a schedule around my optimal learning time with the classes that Ican choose. Do I learn better in the mornings or the afternoons? I should be strategic in all the other classes that I am unable to choose but must take for specific purposes. Stack the schedule with one or two hard classes with several easy or enjoyable classes to balance out the homework load etc. Who knew! It was a chess game and I had control of the board. I had never seen school as something that I had some control over. It was liberating.
As an adult, I took some additional classes to earn a separate designation aside from my degree. It was something that I was interested in, and the classes were riveting. I worked an 8-hour day and then went to classes 4 nights a week from 6-10pm. I should have been exhausted, but I enjoyed every minute. Why? Well, it had to do with the topic that I was studying along with what was going on in the news and it tied current events together with something that I was interested in. That meant the information was put into perspective for me daily.
As time progressed and I got married and had a family, I found the best time for me to work on me was in the car on my 1-hour commute to and from the office. I had to be in the car for that hour each way every day, so I might as well enjoy it. I used to buy books on CD and play them in the car on a variety of interesting topics. As technology changed, I eventually downloaded apps like Audible or Christian Audio to find books to listen to. My world opened up. The time that was spent in the car became a treasure time that I gave myself. Who can complain when you are enjoying yourself so much?
I still listen to books in the car to this day. When my husband is in the car, we listen to marriage books, family books or self-improvement books. The topics can range wildly. My latest craze is podcasts. The time frame is usually about the length of my commute, and I get to pick the topic.
The point of this blog post is to reiterate that you never to old to learn. Life is interesting and when you are strategic with your time and resources you can change the way you think and live. Open your world and mind up for chances to learn. I imagine that you could learn a new language, listen to the bible, invest in yourself. Others may be able to widen your horizons if you are willing to venture outside your daily routine to find new adventures and possibilities. It also keeps the mind sharp and the heart tender. Invest in yourself, it is worth every moment!