My learnings from learning

Last week, when some of my clients wished me on #gurupurnima, I started reflecting on whether I have taught them or learnt from them.

Sharing my thoughts as they emerged based on my tenets of learning. 

Do share some of your own learnings from learning as well. Together, let us build a library of learnings. I look forward to an enriching discussion.

We all learn many things in our lives. We also share some these for the benefit of others.

So, this is me, sharing my learnings on learning itself...

[L]earning is a provisional licence to earn.

Learning enables us to earn.

Both, learning and earning, can take on many different shapes and forms. For instance, learning can be academic or experiential in nature. Earning, on the other hand, can be financial, social or emotional.

Similarly, both can be planned and/or unplanned. Planned refers to the learnings that we go after in a systematic way, whereas unplanned implies the ones that we gain ‘accidentally’.

Although, there are example of successes and failures in both, it is prudent to direct all planned learnings towards some earnings.

Additionally, earning from learning can happen only when learning is applied to something - learning alone is not enough. Hence, we need to constantly find ways to apply what we are learning.

 

I can't teach many but can learn from any!

There have been umpteen examples of a learner learning things even without the presence of a teacher. In fact, if we all reflect deeply, we will find that we have learnt so many things on our own.

Reflecting even further, we will find that our best teachers have been the ones who have helped us learn ourselves. So, it is best to be a good learner. And if we have to play the role of a ‘teacher;’ we should aim to learn along.

Bear in mind that what we have learnt so far could be based on many assumptions of our own, as well as that of our predecessors. Hence, it should be open to being questioned, thereby leading to newer learnings.

The ability to learn is the best gift that we could develop for ourselves and pass on to others.

Also notice that some of our best learnings have come from some of the most unexpected sources, which may not be from the same context. A classic example is man learning how to fly from birds, and consequently making an aircraft.  

So, be open to learning things from anywhere and nett-nett, be a learner. I also encourage you to share your learnings in a way that enables others to learn from it.

 

The more I LEARN, the MORE I learn … that there is MORE to LEARN.

Like me, many of you would have noticed that once we acquire knowledge, we often desire to acquire more deeper and advanced aspects of that area.

Of course, the sustenance happens when we regularly apply what we have learnt and generate value from it. The more it is applied, the more it triggers our curiosity to know more.

The questions we raise, may not get answered by us, or even during our lifespan. But rest assured, if not us, then someone, somewhere, sometime will find answers to these and raise more questions!

Also, another interesting aspect of learning is to learn through questions. While traditional learning methods are more answer-oriented, great learning methods often encourage one to raise more questions from whatever is learnt.

Merely answering a question tends to limit the learning to a shallow understanding of the topic and does not open the doors to further learning. However, questioning the approach ensures that one understands what is being shared, which opens the doors to further learning.

This is how the boundaries of knowledge have been pushed and allowed mankind to progress across generations.

To summarise, here are my learningisms ...

·       Be a learner and a co-learner.

·       Learn from ‘any’, share with ‘every’.

·       Make learning and questioning a continuous loop.

·       Encourage others to become learners.