What Do I Need to Learn Now?

February 2, 2021

Humanity has an innate capacity to learn. We want to understand the world around us, determine how something works, and add to the body of knowledge. You can see this in a child’s veracity to learn by their curiosity about everything.

Learning is essential to our advancement. From an evolutionary perspective, if we don’t comprehend the world around us, it can be deadly. It’s so vital for survival that our brains give us a dose of dopamine as a reward when we learn something new. So this means that everyone can learn. Let’s repeat that—Everyone Can Learn—if we are determined to do so.

My husband wanted to create a walking stick for me to use when we hiked. The final product [see picture below] is beautiful. He’s been asked who taught him, and it surprises everyone to hear that he taught himself as he was working on this project. When we are determined, and it ignites our passion, we can learn anything.

Hand carved by Phillip B. Kozlowski, Jr.

But what do we need to learn now? What do we need to focus our attention on to absorb the new knowledge that is most beneficial to us in the present? Our souls want to expand and grow to be more of our authentic selves and share our gifts with the world. But for us to do this, we need to get quiet and go within to seek the answers we desire.

Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. ~ Abigail Adams

Why We Choose Not to Learn

Many of us have a false belief that learning takes too much time. My husband took four months to complete my walking stick, which he worked on in his spare time. It was a labor of love and his proudest creative endeavor, so he thought the time was well spent, especially since he enjoys the process. Not enough time is an excuse if the ego because it’s lazy.

Maybe we are concerned about what others will think about us as we try a new undertaking. Or we are comparing ourselves with someone more advanced in their efforts. Again, suppose we are concerned about what others think or are using comparisons. In that case, we are allowing the ego to keep us small and not grow.

Or we are afraid that we won’t be able to learn the new skill because it is too difficult for us. This lack of self-confidence in our abilities is a lie from our egoic mind. One of my husband’s mantras is that the only thing he can’t do is something he’s never tried. The statement is so true. I didn’t know how to create a website, podcast, or video, but I did all three. You can see my efforts by visiting my blog, listening to the Soul Solutions podcast, or watch my YouTube channel. If we choose not to try, we make our assumptions of “I Can’t” factual statements.

It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning. ~ Claude Bernard

Where Do We Need to Grow?

Our personal growth is about focusing on those areas we know we need to improve upon to help us in our lives. Whether it’s learning new technology to make life easier, altering our habits to improve our success, or instituting a self-care plan for our well-being, improvement in any area of our life is beneficial.

Successful people have a growth mindset and are dedicated to pursuing learning. Let’s look at some universal areas where we can all choose to improve.

Communication. Everyone benefits from authentic communication where all parties listen for more precise understanding and not just to respond. We are purposeful in our word choice, as words have power. We are consciously communicating from the heart: no excuses, no blaming, only encouragement, and inspiration. And we respect others’ ideas and opinions, even when they aren’t similar to our own because their path differs from ours.
Critical Thinking. Analyzing a situation or issue from multiple perspectives allows for simple problem solving and creative solutions. Processing information in a way that is beneficial without getting overwhelmed is a crucial part of clear thinking.
Optimistic Perspective. Being able to see the good in every situation is a fundamental component of learning. When we struggle, the positive viewpoint helps us see the lesson we are to learn from the circumstances without blaming others or making excuses.

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. ~ Walt Disney

Learning About Ourselves

I know I spent several years learning about who I am. When we remember who we really are, it begins our journey back to Spirit. The process I went through was learning how to be authentically me. I remembered I enjoyed reading and journaling, so I joined a book club and started writing three pages every morning.

Learning about ourselves is doing a thorough analysis of why we react to certain people. What triggers our negative emotional tirades? We need to unlearn some of these behaviors as we formed them as defense mechanisms when we were growing up. Our personalities are a combination of our soulful sides and our egoic programming. Being able to distinguish them is vital for us to become who we are authentically.

As we understand ourselves better, we move out of survival mode. Getting by is not living the life we were born to live. We are to thrive. But thriving means we are living from our hearts and not our heads. It means we are passionately pursuing our goals and dreams by taking action each day.

Be fearless in trying new things, whether they are physical, mental, or emotional since being afraid can challenge you to go to the next level. ~ Rita Wilson

Ask Ourselves Questions

To learn more about ourselves, we need to ask questions. It may be helpful to meditate on the question and then journal the answers. Here are some queries to ponder to become more self-aware:

What are my talents and skills? We all have abilities we thrive at doing. Make a list of them and note those that we feel passionate about.
What am I curious about? List those that interest us, but we haven’t tried.
When am I most productive? Do we get our best work done before the sunrises, or are we more prolific after lunch? Do we work better with others or alone?
What inspires me? Is it the hero’s journey that encourages me, or is it the love and support of family? Understanding why we work towards our dreams is an integral part of who we are.
What are my values? The standards we hold ourselves to are crucial to who we are. What ideals do I want others to have in common with us?
How do I learn? Do I absorb information better visually, auditory, or written form? Maybe it’s a combination. Understanding how we learn helps us understand information faster and retain it longer.
What is my personality, quarks? We all have them, and understanding our natural tendencies helps us get along better with others and accept ourselves.
What is my EQ? Emotional intelligence is our ability to manage our emotions and delay gratification. It also helps us determine our capacity for empathy for others.
Am I self-confident? If not, what ways can we increase our confidence? Our courage to step out of our comfort zone helps us learn more.
What’s holding me back? Are we afraid? What’s our mindset? Is there any baggage we need to release? Letting go and allowing the magic of flow into our lives increases our personal growth.

Try new things and discover yourself every single day. ~ Bhavya Choudhary

How To Improve Our Learning

We must be conscious of what material we let in and what we want to retain. Don’t let information overload distract us from learning. If we are searching for data, be as specific as possible in our query.

When we read, are we retaining the material? I know I remember the data better if I take notes. So read with intent. Even when I read for book club, I have a reading journal where I track what I’ve read and make notes to help me recall the material when we meet to discuss.

Focus and immerse ourselves in our work, so the learning process is a natural byproduct of our being in the flow. Examine the last time we were in the zone. When we do, we can look at recreating the conditions to improve our flow and learning. Distractions take us out of flow, so do what we can to minimize those.

Spend time alone and get quiet. Silence empowers us. When we are alone with ourselves, we become more aware of everything. It provides us time to ponder, reflect, and commune with our soulful selves, so we absorb what we’ve learned.

Unleash our creativity. We are all creative beings. It’s a part of our authenticity. When we allow this innate creativity to come out, we can learn on a completely different level as we use our brains’ right side. The ability to use both sides of our brains enhances our learning abilities.

Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Applying What We Learn

When we realize who we are, we can apply what we learn to our lives. When we rely on intuition and our soulful voice, we make conscious decisions about the experiences we have. As we align with our soulful purpose, our lives become precious. We see the joy in everyday moments and are at peace.

Suppose our goals and dreams align with our soul. In that case, we will begin to see our life’s synchronicities in line with the Universe because they are positive, specific, and focused.

It’s not that we have to work hard to apply what we learn. Working hard is a false belief of the ego. The ego believes that unless it’s difficult to obtain, then it isn’t worth anything. The effort we put forth is meaningless in what we accomplish. Do we need to take action? Yes- it’s a requirement. But if we feel that what we are doing is hard, maybe we should do something different.

When we passionate about what we do, we are in the magic of flow where time is an illusion. We are enjoying the process and are content with doing our labor of love. I have a full-time job, but each week I write a blog article, record a podcast, upload a video and schedule seventy social media posts. I don’t feel I’m working hard, or I’m wasting time because I am passionate about helping others overcome their fears and limiting beliefs that I have a free Blueprint to Overcoming Fear for you to download.

Change is the end result of all true learning. ~ Leo Buscaglia

Moving Forward By Continually Learning

When we consciously choose to learn, we open ourselves up to infinite possibilities for our lives’ direction. Allowing ourselves to try new experiences, see a unique perspective, or do things differently, we increase our knowledge-base. The key to a long-term learning process is to be fearless and consciously choose not to live a life of mediocrity. We need to go boldly and confidently out of our comfort zone.

Realize that every day there is something new for us to learn, unlearn or re-learn. We are mindfully choosing to grow and mature. We will look within ourselves for guidance. With determination and bravery to use our knowledge and intuition to make intelligent decisions about what’s best for our lives to thrive, it moves us away from egoic immaturity. Using our innate wisdom is enlightenment.

The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you. ~ B.B. King

Do you need support to help you become learn and become more self-aware? Do you want a strategy to help you overcome the ego’s limiting beliefs and live a successful life? If so, please contact me, and we can put together an action plan for you to create the life you desire.

Don’t forget to download your FREE Blueprint to Overcoming Fear!