From the minute we arrive into this world, we begin to learn. We start with learning about the people surrounding us, learning words, learning to walk and to play. Before you know it, we’re in school, learning to read and to write. Then, depending on our environment and genes, we start to learn specific skills. We learn how to kick a ball, how to paint, to sing, and to dance. As we start to develop some rationale, time suddenly warps and we are thrown into a repetitive cycle of learning through school and the extra-curricular activities we have been gifted with and enjoy.
Generalising here, but it’s not really until we decide we’ve had enough education and step into the real world, that we can start to understand the impacts that our learning has had on us, the way we understand how we learn, the feeling it gives us, and the places that it will take us. It’s only at that point that we are truly given a choice in our learning. With a full conscious mind, we take our environment as we see it and decide where we want to place our time and effort.
For the majority, the answer involves something like this “where’s the next place I can go that provides an environment similar to the one I’m used to, that will pay me for my familiarity with that environment, thus allowing me to purchase things that were out of reach in my past environment, but let me feel like I’m in control due that purchase.”
I, for one, am the product of this culture, and am still trying to figure out how to break it down. Because, it just does not feel natural, like it will ever provide real reward and control over ones life. Yet, there’s been a couple things in the last year that coincidently have taught me how to really actively learn, to be engaged by learning, and now to seek it out.
The first, funnily enough, began at the end of my education. During my last semester of University, I began to read books. I can’t remember exactly why, but it was probably some recommended video on YouTube talking about the importance of reading that finally got me to pick a book up. I grew up hating reading, even though my mum is a primary school teacher and tried everything she could to help me read and write better, I wasn’t having any of it. I just wanted to play football, ‘cause that’s what I’m good at’. Never the less, I did eventually start reading with one book becoming two, three and so on, and what attracted me to these books (particularly books on business, biographies, and psychology) was that here are these experts in their respective fields, divulging years of research and knowledge into 250 pages and just giving it away. It was a revelation for me, the fact that in just two weeks I could sit down and absorb all this information, from all these experts in such a concise way. It gives me new perspectives, better understandings, and a new desire to go further and learn more.
The second, came from running. I’ve always had this idea that running a marathon would be a great thing to say you’ve done. So promptly after finishing up football with my University I signed up for a marathon, not really knowing what it took in terms of training and mental toughness, I began to run. I always considered running as a means to play proper sports such as football and basketball. It was something you did a couple times in pre-season to convince yourself you’re getting fit, but having always been generally fit, I didn’t think it would be too much to ask to run some double figure miles. Well, I was wrong. Three weeks into my training and I had barely ran more than two miles at a time without complaining of exhaustion. Luckily, my collegiate track friend Gill came to the rescue and we started to train together sticking to a proper marathon prep plan. I finally began to get some proper miles in but being a rookie to the sport and a novice in recovery, before you knew it, I was back out the game complaining of painful knees and decided to pass on the marathon (read full story).
It wasn’t until 9 months later, that I decided to put the runners back on and give it another go. With that experience in mind, I was determined not to let the same thing happen again. I started to study, the way people run lighter, the way they recover, what they eat, how they train..my entire Youtube feed became running videos. While I was travelling I would dream of when I could train properly and go on runs (weird guy). Now a few days out from completing that goal at the Manchester marathon, I’m injury free (touch wood) and running better than ever.
Both these experiences have been huge in teaching me the value of learning and have incidentally spilled over in my approach to tackling all the other tasks I must face in life. But when I take a closer look at why they have been so important it’s pretty easy to see the answers. Firstly, I chose to pursue these things, no one told me I had to. Secondly, no one told me how to do it, I just had to start and figure it out along the way. Thirdly, they’re out my comfort zone. My relationship with reading and writing is still horrendous, but I try because I understand the value. They also involve failure. From failure, we’re forced to re-evaluate and find a way to move forward. And most importantly, it’s giving me the opportunity to learn.
Learning is the cornerstone of life, we’re legally forced to do it our entire childhood. Yet, for many, we never get to understand the value. So, I guess all I’m saying is that if you take a look back and can’t pick out a moment in which you’ve actively chosen to learn, why not give something new ago. It doesn’t have to be anything anyone suggests (and it’s probably better if it wasn’t), just something you’ve always thought would be cool or you might like to do.
- Ryan