Why is Learning so scary?
Human Beings should use their unique ability to Continuously Adapt to Change
When we are at school, we dream about the day when we will finally graduate and the process of learning will cease to exist for us. But does it really ever stop? To survive in today’s world one has to constantly learn, re-learn and re-invent oneself. Then why fear the simple act of learning?
There is so much to learn in this world. As we grow older, we need to learn new skills in order to keep pace with the times, to function and to grow. In that respect, the geeks are better placed than most to dominate the functioning of society. However, they don’t.
Learning cannot be simply confined to theory. Learning is about combining knowledge with practicality and then most importantly, implementing that learned knowledge. And that is exactly where often the best minds, are forced to take a pause. Application and implementation comes with it’s own set of challenges. In corporate jargon, we often speak about problem solving. Quite simply this refers to, taking a real life problem, breaking it down to small parcels and then building a solution to a complex issue, piece by piece. No stage of problem solving can be resolved without learning.
Learning as we Grow
Learning acquires different dimensions with different stages in life. As kids, we are required to learn the basics of human society, the core principals of life that defines everything happening around us. Schooling is a one shot destination for children to understand how to navigate human life. But as we become adults, our needs, wants, perceptions, emotions and understanding evolve. As we grow older, coming into our higher education, work-spaces, and relationships — our need to expand our understanding of the world grows. Schooling never really does justice to life skills. Those are aspects of human life that we need to learn from our experiences and interactions with the outside world.
Just like schools don’t teach us how to manage our relationships with others, text books don’t really categorically tell us how to build and scale businesses. When we are starting up to build a business, for each of us our problem — which requires a solution, is unique. And so are the variables and factors that are a part of that unique problem. One cannot pick up words from someone else’s experience and hope to get the same results. Each case is unique, each market and problem is unique and so should be the solution. This is where the ease, with which one learns, plays the crucial part.
Changing Dimensions of Future Work
With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) the idea of how work needs to evolve is finally changing. Automation has been the buzzword in work-spaces for a while now. As AI algorithms mature, human intervention required for basic checks and balances will drastically reduce, shaving off precious time which can be redirected elsewhere to enhance work efficiencies. In a world like this, our work definitions and scope is bound to be re-wired. There is hardly a role or profile existing today where AI will not have a role to play. Can we afford to be complacent about learning these days?
As a matter of fact, learning never stops as you grow and evolve with times. When you join the workforce, a lot of how you grow in your career, depends on how fast you can learn, unlearn and relearn. As one grows into a leadership role, continuous learning plays a huge role in career trajectory. The fact that one can learn and pick up skills easily makes a person a valuable performer at work. Learning gives dimensions to your character and adds crucial valuable skills needed for survival.
Learning as Investment
Think of learning as investment on yourself. Just like you invest your money in the market and make it work for you, in the same way, spending time learning new things diversifies your personal portfolio. Being open to ideas and experiences, broadens our outlook towards life. Few years back, I had a very hectic work profile that required me to travel long distances within and beyond the main city where I worked. Using public transport and spending hours in crowded subway cars left me exhausted and drained. It came to a point where, the work profile and the requirements became unsustainable for me. My solution to this predicament was learning how to drive, buying a car and commuting to work in it. Yes, driving around the city for hours is also difficult. However, the comfort of being in a car is much better as compared to a public train or a bus.
Investing time and energy to improve oneself is often looked down upon in society. It is believed that once we begin our adult lives in a particular format, we are supposed to never change lanes and try our hands at something new. This is a very archaic way of thinking. The way our world is changing, human beings need to be able to adapt to rapid shifts in their lives. If we are not open to the idea of continuous learning, we are bound to fall behind. And acquiring new skills can be fun. It lets us be a different person at different intervals. Much like actors on the stage. Each time the lights are turned on, we have the ability to be someone else. Life is never one-dimensional and exploring the boundaries never hurt anyone.
In Conclusion
Learning is not an idea confined to the geeks. Learning can be equitable for everyone. The solution to the biggest gaps in our lives, can often be measured by our willingness and ability to adapt. Many species became extinct over time due to their inability to adapt to rapidly changing climate of our planet. Human beings are more adept than most in survival. This is to a large extent due to our brains’ ability to transform and adapt to change. And adaptation is incomplete without the process of continuous learning. The block might sometimes be only in our minds.
Thank you for reading…
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