How we get ‘learning’ wrong
Learning is not knowledge accumulation. E.g. an online course, reading a book, or even getting a college degree. It’s a good first step but not real learning.
Learning is not accumulating experiences. Like experience in a job or industry. Experience may increase your odds of being better at something but doesn’t guarantee it.
Learning is not excelling at a task. Executing a task well does not always mean that it is the best way of getting to the end goal.
Real Learning
Real learning is gaining the ability to solve a valuable problem in the real world
It is more than knowing what is said about the problem in books, on internet, or in podcasts by great personalities who claim to have done it. It is greater than the sum of all parts.
It is common for people to possess knowledge, experience, or task excellence without really using these to their advantage.
Why don’t we learn as much as we are capable of?
The tools for learning are abundant. It’s the desire to learn that’s scarce
Naval Ravikant
- Learning is driven by purpose
For most people real learning is the agenda only till they get to their near term goal — that job, that pay-check, that company or something else.
It doesn’t mean they stop learning, but they do it just enough to maintain their positions while avoiding getting out of their comfort zones.
It is important to find a purpose that drives your learning.
2. Learning demands sweat and sacrifice
Real learning comes at a cost. It needs time, energy, and if I am allowed to exaggerate a bit — your heart and soul.
It may sometimes need you to disregard your boss, break some rules that the world has made for you, or even take bigger decisions in life that are tough and others don’t agree with.
People prefer convenience.
To really learn something worthwhile you have to be prepared for short term pain.
3. Learning involves failure
All through our lives we are conditioned to avoid failure.
Real learning needs you to experiment which brings along failure.
While most people know this, they can’t bring themselves to bear the thought of failure. They avoid experimenting and learning to avoid failure.
4. Learning requires ownership
To learn how to solve a problem, you have to own it completely.
That means taking responsibility and digging in. Not just the fancy bits but the dirty work which no one likes to do. The nuts and bolts, the logistics, the people issues - all of it. It means crossing the boundaries of your job description when needed.
People are used to doing only what they are required to and pushing the rest to someone else.
So the next time you plan to learn something significant, ask yourself if you’re being real about it.
