Learn Something New (It’s Rewarding)

Here I am, on top of a mountain in the beautiful French Alps. Like every year, I take a week off to enjoy skiing there. I’ve got used to that place at that time of the year. It’s almost the end of the season and there’s usually still a lot of snow and nobody on the ski slopes.

This year, I’m lucky: it’s 100% sun, great snow, and it looks like the entire station has been privatized for me. I can ski the way I want and there’s absolutely no waiting line. In other words: it’s awesome.

There’s only one problem: I‘m bored as hell.

When There’s No Challenge, Make One

After a few days, I understand what’s happening: there’s no real challenge. Sure, I enjoy skiing, but I’m doing the same thing over and over again.

This is when I realize that I need to learn something new: I decide to take a snowboarding course.

I remember how hard learning to walk is for a baby.

I’m a total beginner. I don’t know how to stand on that thing. Everything is hard again: standing, moving, turning… It looks like I’m 7 again and I’m learning to ski. I remember how hard learning to walk is for a baby.

How Learning Happens

Because I work in education at OpenClassrooms, I want to understand how this learning process happens.

We’re not that different from babies: we just overthink stuff too much.

I’m surprised to see my own progress. I try to look at it from an observer angle and it’s awesome, because it’s so simple:

1. Look at someone doing something
2. Try to do the same
3. Fail (in my case: fall)
4. Try again
5. Get better
6. etc.

I mean… it’s not rocket science. You just have to:

• Be confident that you can learn
• Try, fail, try, fail quickly
• Get some external feedback (from a teacher or a mentor)

This is how you learn in life. This is how a baby learns to walk. How a baby learns to speak. We’re not that different from babies: we just overthink stuff too much.

The Reward

In just 2 days, I’m standing on my own snowboard and I can turn. I’m autonomous.

We’re quick to forget how great it is to learn.

Yes, I’m slow and I’ve got bruises everywhere, but I have a big smile :-)

I learnt something new.

It’s like food for my mind. It really feels rewarding to see the progress I’ve made. Now, I want to learn something else again. I realize that I don’t take enough the time to learn.

We’re quick to forget how great it is to learn. This is why I wrote this story: it reminds me that learning truly is one of the great adventures of life. You don’t want to miss it.