WE ARE LEARNING
Oh, the joys of learning!
As simple humans in this big, complex world, we have fewer opportunities to embrace learning and allow the transformative work of experiencing something new to impact and shape us. As we grow older, we are expected to have all the answers, know all the things, and be able to take each and every step with full confidence and conviction. However, at the end of the day no matter how old we are, we are undeniably human. We are all learning.
Do you ever think back to when you were young and felt like you were experiencing something new every single second? New words, new sports, new skills, new friends, new places. It was an endless consumption of exciting and unknown content, and our brains were being challenged and formed in critical ways that produced miraculous growth.
When was the last time you felt this way as a big kid? Whether you finished college, underwent a career change, left a relationship, or experienced a mid-life crisis, we are being introduced to learning opportunities regularly - just in disguise. However, as adults, we are expected to react to these prompts differently. Sometimes, we resist the change and miss a learning opportunity. In other scenarios, we interpret the situation wrong and instead experience stress and anxiety rather than excitement for change and a new adventure. In short, learning becomes a complicated affair when you are part of the ‘real world.’
Often, I feel like the adult world is resistant to change because of the F word: failure. Within learning opportunities, people perceive there is a greater chance of failure and the ever-increasing pressure of making mistakes gets in the way of the potential for success. We have to be professionals within our careers, super-parents, the best spouses ever, the all-knowing bosses, and the top-performing interstate drivers. These expectations we inflict on ourselves are neither helpful nor wise for the sole reason of blocking us from growth. How are we to grow without learning? And how can we grow without the possibility of failure to propel us further and teach us the most valuable lessons we learn?
Psychological research suggests that subjecting yourself to hard situations where you have to persist through difficulties can enlarge an important neural network in your brain. The Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex, aka mACC, is a network hub that operates to weigh the pros and cons of doing something difficult. Researchers theorize that the mACC has further involvement in calculating the energy cost of a task and applying that impact to the potential reward. Strengthening such a region in your brain could yield greater endurance for hard tasks, allow for more focus and attention toward those tasks, and could yield certain improvements for mental disorders such as depression and dementia. (Research: The Tenacious Brain: How the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Contributes to Achieving Goals, 2020)
Additionally, the phenomenon of neuroplasticity allows you to physically rewire your brain while experiencing something new. So while you are learning, your brain is adapting and changing to store new information, form new habits, and physically enlarge neural networks and brain regions. This is INCREDIBLE! Not only does the process of learning teach you valuable lessons and yield important information, but it physically restructures and grows your anatomy. Your physical brain is impacted by your mental learning. Epic. (Research: Neuroplasticity and Adult Learning, 2022)
Learning produces mental and physical change and adaptation, but as adults, we find ourselves in fewer learning scenarios and are adverse to change. Excuses such as no time, the fear of messing up, and the reluctance towards change all combine to form a convincing argument against learning. However, your biology begs to differ.
What if you took the time risk and invested in learning a new language? What if you stood up to your fear of failure and started that business you’ve been wanting to create? What if you even took time to learn a new activity, simply to experience child-like wonder? Sure, we could say there is no time and that it’s not a wise investment. However, your brain is begging for growth and your longevity would profit greatly from a little new experience.
I want to encourage you to experience something new and not shy away from learning. Humans need the exercise of adapting and changing, and what better way to encourage that habit than through allowing yourself to learn? As Jenna and I navigate this time of learning how to start a business and risk our time and resources, we constantly remind each other that we are just learning. And, as we’ve discussed, what is the REAL harm in learning?
