NASA’s Artemis II mission reminded me of the Apollo journeys to the moon that fascinated me as a kid. And it should remind each of us about our natural need to keep learning and exploring. Opportunities to learn new things are all around us. But what makes it special is not just the learning, but doing it with mindfulness and joy.
Learning really is a life-long experience, and it doesn’t have to involve formal programs in schools or other institutions. Continuing education classes and training programs are great. But there are plenty of other ways to acquire new skills and knowledge.
Every time you read a book (yes, a shameless self-promotion), you learn something. Same goes for listening to a podcast or watching an instructional YouTube video, viewing a documentary, or requesting guidance from Siri or Alexa. Anyone with a digital device and access to the Internet can find new sources of knowledge. Masterclass offers courses on a wide variety of topics, or you can take all kinds of free classes online.
You can learn new things by conversing with your partner, traveling to different places, listening to stories from your elders, chatting with the neighbors, and even asking your children what they did in school that day. Just having a random conversation with someone standing in line with you at the grocery store, or sitting next to you on a plane or train, can present opportunities to learn something you didn’t know.
Without even giving it all that much thought, you can create a list of possible things to learn, or do a Google search to find one.
No doubt, learning new things can be a struggle. I consider myself fairly adept when it comes to figuring out how to use technology. This comes in part from relying on computers or other electronic devices for work for more than four decades. But recently I’ve been trying to learn the art of creating videos as part of my book marketing efforts, and I have to say I’m clueless about a lot of it.
I’ve managed to pick up some of the basics either on my own or with the help of AI, and will keep at it. Even if I never actually produce and post a high-quality video, I will have learned something about the process. I used my brain to grasp something I’d not been familiar with before.
Much has been written about the potential benefits of learning new things, including better brain health and cognitive function, personal growth, greater fulfillment, more social connection and creativity, and increased well-being. Learning and exploring new things can—and should—bring us joy and help us to live in the moment.
On the flip side, when learning stops, personal and professional development as well as mental vitality can stagnate. We’re merely existing rather than living an active life in a world that can teach us so many things.
We need to embrace lifelong learning to be able to adapt to change, or maybe to be the ones to make the change for the betterment of others. Either way, we get to keep discovering new wonders.
In keeping with the topic, I hope you learned something new from this post!
“Once you stop learning, you start dying.”—Albert Einstein
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