Learning “New Skills” should be fun…But is it always!?

Often within the workplace, we are asked to take on new learnings – new skills with the ever-changing world that we live in. Sometimes, we may want to learn new skills to enhance our own lives. For some this can be daunting whereas the reverse should be the case!
It is generally accepted that a huge part of the development of a child’s brain occurs during the first five years of life -children are born ready to learn. They cultivate 85% of their intellect, personality and skills by age five. What does this tell us?

One thing is that a child has little “Conditioning” at that age, they have no pre-conditioned thinking or behaviours in their sub-conscious. Too often we don’t embrace new learning because of the barriers that we create ourselves, whereas children take on board the learning without inhibition.

The other thing that tends to happen when we educate and develop young children is that we make the learning fun! And yet, when we move into adulthood and the work place, all that changes…But should it?

We learn best when we feel relaxed, even when developing new skills on a personal level, we should plan the study times and the environment. We should always make sure that we are in the right frame of mind. Similarly, that we know the benefits of the self-study and what we want to achieve.

One mistake that we sometimes make is studying in only a single location. The brain makes connections between what is being learned and the environment being used at any one time. Breaking up learning into bite sized chunks and in a variety of different areas helps!

Always remember that there is more than one way of studying that may work for you. The concept that some people are “auditory” learners while others are “visual” learners has long been proved a myth. Studying through a variety of different means lets your brain make connections in different ways, which will aide in recall in different situations.

We should embrace the opportunity to learn new skills and to develop new interests. The human mind has an insatiable appetite to grow and develop. Much of our learning is self-taught and yet there is so much opportunity to uncover new opportunities when we open our eyes and ears.

Never worry about developing yourself in new and different ways…The mind is ready…willing and more than able…Just relax, embrace and make it happen!