Learning The Joys and Excitement of Learning Something New
A few weeks ago I was speaking on the phone to my co-worker and friend Keith. We had been working for several days writing some new material for a programme that we were teaching. The process had been difficult, neither of us had appeared particularly stimulated by the task and the work we were producing felt OK but not spectacular. Then suddenly, I seemed to be having ideas that unblocked the problems - generating titles that were inspiring, linking topics in a creative and interesting way, remembering contacts who might come and give a seminar. After a couple of days of really powerful work, Keith asked jokingly for some of the “GO juice” that I was taking. He really wondered what had made such a difference.
A few days later I met up with Keith. I told him about a course that I am enrolled to study and asked if he would give me a reference. “Aha!” he said. “I knew there was something that was making a big difference to your levels of energy and enthusiasm.” He then went on to tell me that when I found some thing that really excited and motivated me, there was a step change in the quality of my output, and that in fact “there was no-one better”. (Aw, what a great thing for a friend to say.)
The need to make sense of things and the search for meaning in what we encounter is a key characteristic of being a human. Aristotle described the fundamental appetite for human knowledge, and how the satisfaction of our desire to know gives us great pleasure. Yet for the best examples of the joy of learning, watch your kids as they play in the mud with a stick. Their curiosity leads them to be experimental, to try things out. And their natural exuberance and lack of inhibition allows them to laugh at the results and delight in learning through play.
So what is it about learning that can reconnect with that childish curiosity and delight? I have identified four aspects of learning that can bring pleasure or satisfaction.
1) Recognition of Knowledge
I recall as a child being able to recite the capital cities of the major countries in the world. To my young mind there was a delight simply in knowing that I knew all these things, and could remember them. There was an added benefit too in being recognised by others as an expert in that area. I was very popular in school quizzes for being able to remember these types of facts.
My partner surprised the family recently by being able to recite the locations that hosted all the previous Soccer World Cups, and to name the winning team for each year. Not particularly useful, maybe, but you could tell from his face that he was still proud of this achievement.
What do you know, or remember, that demonstrates the amazing capacity of your brain?
2) Sudden Insight
I was working some time ago for a business that was installing a new computer system. As a member of the management team I had to understand enough about the technicalities of the system to contribute to management decisions about cost, use, training etc. For weeks I attended meetings and grappled with unfamiliar concepts and an unknown lexicon of terms and acronyms. Then suddenly, it was like the sun shining through fog, and I started to understand what everyone else was talking about. Boy, did I feel good about that.
Such moments of insight come may come to us when we’ve been dealing with an intractable problem or puzzling over a new concept. They are probably one of the greatest joys of learning because there is a palpable shift in our understanding.
Is there are area of learning that you’ve been ignoring because it seems too difficult and incomprehensible? How good would it feel to persist until you get that wonderful light bulb moment?
3) Changing Your Mind
We all hold opinions and beliefs that we have built up through experience, and which at the time we hold them are correct for us. As we continue to experience life, and as the world in which we live continues to change, we are presented with views or facts which do not support our current ways of thinking. I love to have discussions with people, to share my opinions and to marshal the arguments and facts behind my theories. But sometimes, I come up against books, people, or events that show me that my opinion is wrong. It can be hard way to learn, but the joy is often to be found in recognising a new truth about yourself.
What patterns of thinking or opinions are you holding on to, that don’t serve you well at this time? As Edward do Bono said: “If you never change your mind, why have one?”
4) Putting Things in Order
Our minds love to make sense of the world around us and we do this is by relating one thing to another and creating a structure. Before writing this article, I though about what my key points were going to be, considered how I would introduce the topic and set about creating some headings for the article. I’ve enjoyed doing it and in the process I have helped myself to structure my thoughts and knowledge. The next time I learn something about the joy of learning, I’ll consider whether it fits under one of the existing headings, whether it illustrates a particular point, or whether it is an entirely different aspect that requires another heading.
What are you doing to create order out of chaos? How do you structure your curiosity and learning? In the world of information that is available on the internet how are you going to find what interests and energises you?
Tags: Aristotle, curiosity, enthusiasm, happiness, insight, joy, knowledge, learning