How becoming an eternal learner has helped my personal growth and development.

It can help you too!

How is being an eternal learner helping my continuous growth?

Is the pursuit of knowledge a journey with no destination or is the journey the destination itself?

Began the Monday morning with these thoughts as I watched the sunrise across the creek. And the conclusion I reached was being an eternal learner has life-altering powers in today’s dynamic world.

The Mindset of an Eternal Learner

It’s all in the mind and I agree.

When two years back I decided to give up on a comfortable career and start working on something new, all I had was my confidence in myself. I knew what I wanted to do but had absolutely no idea where and how to start.

And thus began my online journey. And that’s when I realised the full potential of the Internet.

There was nothing I couldn’t learn online. The more I explored, the more I uncovered. It was like a treasure trove of knowledge.

Curiosity was the driving force. I was excited like a child in a candy store. Where to begin, what to do, how to do it, how can I use this knowledge? It all appeared exciting.

There was a flip side to the learning process.

As there was no syllabus or fixed structure to follow, my focus was not channelized — it was spread all over.

Every time I came across something new (and that was often enough!), I would scoot in that direction leaving something else midway. This is not the correct way to learn anything. I knew it then, but I know better now. But the freedom and flexibility of the experience was overwhelming.

That’s when I had to pull back and think. There was no point of just acquiring knowledge without actually using it. The purpose of learning was to benefit from it. That’s when I decided on an unconventional way of learning, something that has worked for me every time.

I decide on the project, work out the stages, and then start learning how to handle each stage. Basically learning on the go. This way the learning and the work are in sync. This method also helped structure my learning. I recently heard Dan Koe talk about it and felt much more reassured about my method.

Each learning process is a path of self-discovery. It reveals your strengths and your lacunas. And it’s important to accept these harsh truths if you want to grow. You’ve to be ready for the bubble to burst and submit yourself as a willing learner.

There are bound to be challenges, setbacks and failures in the path. Believe me there were times I just wanted to stop and go back to my old life. But these are exactly the situations that help you decide what you want — become a better version of yourself or go back to the complacent self.

I chose to mute the voices, both internal and external; to stop worrying about the prospect of challenges, and not get embarrassed by my failures. I tried different things and failed, but what I learned is still with me. Those are the true assets which I continued to leverage to reach here. I couldn’t be more proud of myself.

What are the lessons I learnt in my struggles the last few years? Plenty.

#1: Learning is a lifelong process.

Learning is a lifelong process. The day you stop learning, is the day you stop growing. I explored various learning platforms — from books to courses, workshops, and life experiences. Different platforms have their unique way of conveying the information. The variety in medium and perspective keeps the interest alive.

I learnt to organise myself — my thoughts, goals, ideas and my time. I had to plan my day such that I had time for other things; like my family, or reading and exercises or chores.

I was obsessed with my learning process but I did not allow it to consume me. I developed effective schedules and managed my time to suit my requirements.

This pursuit of knowledge was, and is, an important part of me but it’s not the only thing. I don’t expect myself to give up everything and move into a cave to work on a project. That’s not practical.

So, I built a system that works for me. This has made the learning more fun. Given me the breaks when needed without overwhelming me. You need to figure out your system to make the best of the opportunity you have.

#2: Cultivating a Growth Mindset

The next thing needed to be an eternal learner is to cultivate a growth mindset. You’ve to be open to going on this path of growth. You can develop a growth mindset through simple steps like –

· Practice self-reflection — You’ve to take a pause and think. It helps to be honest with yourself and your plans. This helps to focus your efforts and your energies in the right direction.

· Challenge yourself — You can’t expect to grow if you remain rooted in your old comfortable space. You have to set new goals for yourself. It’s these challenges which will provide the momentum to move.

· Don’t fear failures — See your failures as a learning experience. Remember the famous quote by Thomas Edison?

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

· Be your biggest supporter — You want to grow, right? You’re doing it for yourself. Then there’s no question of you giving up on yourself. Have faith and keep moving.

· Open to feedback — You definitely need lots and lots of them. The more feedback you get, the better the chances to improve.

· Don’t compare with others — Each one of us is on a different path, different pace, different conditions. An unequal comparison. So try to avoid indulging in it.

· Be patient — You’ve set the pace. Don’t procrastinate. Decide how much you want and how far you’re ready to go. Don’t feel pressurised to get ‘amazing’ results immediately to justify yourself to others.

· Enjoy the process — Go easy on yourself. Practice what you learn. That way you get to see how much progress you have made.

#3: Overcoming Learning Plateaus

Another thing that often derailed my process were the unexpected detours or obstacles.

I mean, there’ve been times when I had obsessively worked on something, read up as much as possible about it, watched a few videos, attended a few courses, and then just like that, I would find my interest waning. It no longer fired me up.

For me it was anything technical I had to do, like using a new software or app. My brain cells would just freeze. After all these (mis)trials, I’ve gotten better and have learned to adapt to the technological changes. I still freeze, but for a shorter duration. And I don’t blame everyone, from Steve Jobs to my plants, for putting me through this.

It was in these situations that I had to talk myself out of the negative mindset, remind myself of the reasons I was pursuing this subject. What worked for me was giving myself a break by reading one of my favourite books or just writing (not for posting but for myself).

It would refresh my fatigued brain and also infuse some positive energy. All it needs is for you to reach into your deep reserves of resilience.

But before that, review the ups and downs of your journey to figure out what trips you up, what derails you. This is important because then you can prepare yourself for such an eventuality.

Conclusion

Believe me when I say, that it has been a roller coaster ride last two years. I learned a ton of stuff. All because I wanted to get out of the rut I found myself in and do something more than just living a template life. The challenges tested me and pushed me in the right direction.

It’s your passion for living a meaningful life, for cultivating a mindset of continuous growth, and forever letting your curiosity burn bright that will lead to personal and professional fulfilment. I know it; I’m living it.

Your support and love for my stories has been inspiring.

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