“I wish I knew how to ___.”
Go ahead, fill in that blank with whatever you want. Speak another language. Drive a motorcycle. Paint like Monet. Start my own business. Make homemade wine.
Notice how your heart feels when you say that out loud. It lifts with excitement. You want to start something new, dive into uncharted knowledge, and create something magnificent that you’ve never done before. And yet, too often, people will sit back from taking that step forward, keeping their dream in dreamland. So I’m here to tell you today…
Go ahead.
- Start that book.
- Take the class.
- Learn the thing.
It’s not selfish to do for yourself. Educating yourself, actually, has loads of benefits you may not realise
Below are five benefits of actively learning something new:
1. It Improves Your Quality of Life
Think about how often you’ve defaulted to a Netflix and Chill kind of night when the back of your mind reminds you that you could be picking up that new knowledge. You sit on the couch and veg, soaking in whatever binge-worthy show is currently available. Yes, a quiet night like this is fine once in a while. However, intentionally using that time to learn something new creates value in that time.
Believe me; I have done it! But!!!! That education and learning stimulate your brain, making you appreciate and satisfy what you’re choosing to do. It’s an escape from mind-numbing television (watching other people live their dreams) and a vacation into something to discover.
2. It Reduces Stress
Stress builds up over time, with all the focus on worry and trepidation of work, health, and everyday life. Picking up a new topic to learn about deviates from the routine of focusing on those worries. It breaks the patterns that literally build up stress, shifting your thoughts to something you can benefit from rather than something that’s taking away from your happiness.
When you are lost in something new to learn and love you reduce your stress levels and boost those endorphins that come with the excitement of something new.
3. It Builds Up Confidence
How often do you default to “I can’t do that” when you see someone else accomplish something amazing? It’s a natural reaction to admire someone who is doing something you could never imagine yourself doing. However, taking the class, picking up the book, and diving into something new actually cracks open the possibility that maybe YES, you can do that thing. The more you learn about it, the more the mysteries of “how” get answered.
Before you know it, yes, you can do that thing.
This all falls into The Confidence Competence loop, and as Lucille Ball used to say,
“The more you do, the more you can do”
I would say, “the more you do, the more you KNOW you can do” Learning and proving that you can step out of that comfort zone you’ve been in breeds confidence.
4. It’s Good for Mental Health
One way to boost your mental health is to set goals or targets for yourself and work toward achieving them.
Learning may sometimes start as a curiosity, but before too long, that curiosity breaks into the “what if” you could accomplish a task. That inquisitiveness turns into goal settling. The more you learn, the more you work toward that goal, and the feeling of accomplishment you gain directly boosts your mental health.
You may find that the big goal is too much to focus on. If you are anything like me, I need short terms goals that I can tick off each week, but that move me forward. It feels so good to achieve those goals and know that I did what I said I would. It’s encouraging and makes you want to do more, ultimately shifting your mood to a more positive one.
5. It’s a Social Club
Okay, so maybe you don’t instantly think about the learning experience being social. After all, most of the time when you’re in “discovery” mode, you’re alone, with a book or article or digital course in hand.
But once you start learning the language of what you’re learning, it unlocks the door to naturally finding people who are learning (or who have already learned) the same thing. Before you know it, you’re diving into conversations about the new topic and building friendships based on your shared interests!
Recently I delved into the world of Pelaton – the static bike craze that is a great way to get in shape. I honestly have no idea what I am doing, but just by sharing that I have one of those bikes, I am finding a new community of people who are able to encourage me along the way as I get to grips with this new way of living, moving and being.
Discover Something New For Yourself
Sure, once in a while, it’s nice to turn off your thoughts and do something “the same.” The same show, the same conversation, the same sofa or bed with the same snack and bedtime. But your brain (and your heart, too!) want to break free of that routine!
They’re begging you to stop saying “someday I will,” they are begging you to get off your backside and declare
“Today’s the day!”
So, go ahead. Pick up that book. Take the class. Learn something new.
I’m pretty sure you’ll be impressed with yourself and how it makes you feel.
PS, need a little encouragement to learn that thing? That’s what The Compass Club is all about.
Join the women who are breaking free of their routines and loving the hell out of it!
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