Want to Learn Better? Build These 5 Attributes
The process of learning anything new can be a painful process. Here's how you can break through that pain.
Lately, I’ve received a lot of interest in the topic of learning. Today, I’m sharing my own insights as an English teacher, as well as a dude obsessed with learning.
Whether learning academic material for a Master’s degree or a new hobby like playing the guitar, learning can be painful, dreadful… and a dozen more negative adjectives.
See, when we learn any new skill or piece of information, our brains often need to rewire themselves; to use nerd-speak, we build new synaptic connections in our brains, and our minds struggle to grasp the full extent of whatever we are learning. That process can feel painful in many ways.
Imagine learning to play guitar after picking it up just once.
The first time your hands touch the thing, you have no idea how the fretting hand lacks flexibility and dexterity without practice. You have no idea what fret on what string produces what note. And even then, when you learn those things, there are hundreds of guitar techniques and chords that you can learn.
That entire process is dreadful at first, both in a tactile and knowledge-based sense.
However, there are attributes anyone can build to make the learning process smoother, and more importantly, see progress. Throughout this article, I will be referring to the analogy of learning to play guitar as an example of how the attributes can be useful.
Here are 5 attributes you’ll need to develop your ability to learn more effectively.
1. Growth Mindset
I’ve discussed this topic at some length in a previous article here. I mentioned that the growth mindset is recognized as an educational concept. I didn’t emphasize that this concept is easily multi-disciplinary.
Whether you’re a teacher, an entrepreneur, a line worker, or an executive leader, the growth mindset can apply to you.
The opposite of the growth mindset is the fixed mindset. The fixed mindset states: I have a fixed ability, therefore I can only do so much.
Some of this concept is true, but no great piece of work is done without an immense amount of learning the craft. Hence, I recommend following the growth mindset instead.
The growth mindset, on the other hand, states: If I don’t know it, I can learn it. That sounds a lot nicer, doesn’t it?
Well, it is.
Imagine applying the fixed mindset as your default when learning to play the guitar. Imagine how much you’re limiting yourself!
Think of amazing guitarists playing on YouTube videos, for instance. I appreciate the humor of YouTube comments that say “[insert guitar virtuoso here] inspired me to throw away my guitar”, but that mindset doesn’t get you any closer to that guitarist’s level, does it?
When learning to play a new song on the guitar, here’s what the growth mindset would have you thinking instead:
First, find an accurate guitar tutorial to teach me
Let’s try playing the first 4 notes
If it’s hard to play in time, let’s start slowly and build speed
Once I’m comfortable with these first 4 notes, let’s move on to the next 4 notes
…then play the next 4 notes
Put it all together and play the first 12 notes
Etc.
That’s the beauty of the growth mindset; it fosters ingenuity. Ingenuity is the ability to be inventive and find unique solutions to unique situations.
Is learning overwhelming because there’s too much to learn? The growth mindset says: take the topic and break it down into manageable chunks.
Does learning something new seem insurmountable? The growth mindset says: where can I start? Let’s start there.
Are you unsure of your ability to learn something new? The growth mindset says: set SMART goals — goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely — and move one step at a time toward that goal.
Are you unsure of how to proceed? The growth mindset says: what skill or knowledge do I need to get closer to my goal? Let’s learn that next.
You get the idea. First and foremost, adopt this mindset.
2. Humility
Being humble… This one is most often overlooked. Have you ever been in a position where people look up to you, so they expect you to perform well, or make an important leadership decision?
All of us at one point have been there, whether we were aware of it or not. That pressure often gets to our egos.
When the ego, our sense of self and self-worth, is involved, watch out; things get tricky. The ego can drive strong performance, but it is also like a child that asks for the world to cater to it because “it says so”.
At that point, you may overcompensate for your lack of ability or knowledge by grandstanding and showing people how cool you are. All because your ego needs to be fed.
Here’s the problem: that is not productive behavior or thinking at all.
Instead of calling your ego to center stage, what if you invited humility in its place instead?
Here’s what happens.
rather than doing something to make you feel better about yourself, you admit where your weaknesses are, and where you can do better
rather than show off, you put in the effort where it’s needed most
rather than pretend to know, you admit you don’t know and reach a solution faster
rather than think you know everything, you actually learn what you don’t know
rather than act like a star and risk not learning key information, you behave like a student and absorb what you’re learning
The concept is simple: the humble learner will do what is required to improve their skills/knowledge, knowing full well that they have a lot to learn.
When learning anything, acting like you know it all is poison in your development. Keep the ego in check.
Be humble and do the work needed. You’ll thank me later.
3. Commitment
This one can be a big, scary word. But it’s not really scary at all. All it means is: “If I say I’ll do it, I actually do it.” Commitment is going on a run and taking it to the finish line.
The word is often associated with relationships, but I think we have to consider equal, if not more, weighting toward goal setting.
Commitment is an admirable trait. It’s like everyone around you is saying that they will do something and never get around to it while you are getting things done.
“How does that relate to learning?”, you ask.
Here’s how.
What often happens when trying something new is the person gives up or stops learning before reaching a goal. This happens for many reasons. Maybe they lose interest. Maybe it’s too hard. Or maybe they get lazy and have “other priorities”.
Hey fellow Millennials and Gen Z’ers: if you have time to watch YouTube and fiddle with social media for more than 2 hours a day, you have time to learn something productive.
So when setting a goal to learn something new, it’s necessary to focus and follow through. Did you promise yourself that you’d learn how to cook? Did you promise to watch less YouTube and read more books? Did you promise to learn a new instrument beyond the basics?
It’s so easy to give up and stop, and it’s difficult to commit to what matters. Here are a few bullet points to help with applying the commitment concept to your everyday life:
have I set a realistic goal that I can complete?
how far have I gone, and how much further do I need to go?
have I stopped learning? Why? What’s my plan to continue?
if my goal is delayed, what’s my plan to reach to the finish line?
The greatest commitment is to put your effort into continuous learning. Talk to any successful investor, trader, or entrepreneur. Some of the greatest education these days comes from what you learn about yourself, as well as what you learn outside of school.
Here’s your takeaway. ‘Commitment’ isn’t just for relationships; it’s for the completion of any goal you set for yourself. That includes learning.
4. Discipline
If commitment is about following through to the end, discipline is what gets you there.
For example, Now that I’ve recovered from my ankle injury and surgery in February, I made a commitment to exercise and strengthen my ankle every day. No excuses. As per my surgeon, I’ll only be able to play sports again in about 2 months, but only if I exercise every day.
Some days, my workout feels like a dreadful slog, and some, it feels fantastic. But either way, discipline is what gets my ass out of bed in the morning to get it done.
If you’re looking for some inspiration to develop and maintain discipline in your life, I highly recommend Jocko Willink’s podcast, as well as his book Discipline, Equals Freedom.
Speaking of inspiration, here’s a badass quote from another Navy SEAL team guy, David Goggins:
I don’t stop when I’m tired. I stop when I’m done.
Now, what about discipline for learning? I’d argue it’s the same as exercise.
Exercise requires effort and discipline. We set a goal and achieve it by working at it. Discipline is the mindset that ensures that we don’t stop until we reached our goal.
And you know what exercise is like? It’s like playing the guitar.
If you know all about music theory and pitch, yet you haven’t put the tactile effort into actually playing the instrument, you’d be incredibly sloppy and rough at first. Discipline ensures that players practice regularly for improvement.
When we want to learn anything, we set a goal in hopes to apply it to our lives in some way. Sticking to it is key; do the thing even when you don’t feel like it. The act of doing so is called grit. The mindset and principle that ensures it happens is discipline.
Here are a few bullet points to help you with discipline:
don’t feel like doing it? Do it anyway.
don’t have enough time? Let’s make time to do what I didn’t complete yet.
don’t have a schedule? Make one.
not done yet? Finish it.
no progress? Get to work.
And remember one thing: discipline is not granted to you via mentors or birthright. Discipline is built, and the only one who can build it is you.
Next!
5. Curiosity
Last but not least, we have curiosity. To be curious simply means to be willing to ask questions and learn more beyond what you already know.
I find that naturally curious people are more effective learners.
Why? They bother to ask questions, and learning involves answering those questions. And even when the questions have been answered, they look for more to learn.
Curiosity in today’s age is like a superpower. While everyone else is busy watching Netflix and bingeing YouTube and Instagram videos, naturally curious people thirst for more than what Google and mainstream society tell them is true. Thus, they know more than the average internet-addicted Joe Shmoe.
To use the guitar analogy, there are intermediate and advanced levels of playing the guitar. But if someone is dedicated to improving their skills beyond what they already know, their curiosity will drive them to find new ways to improve their guitar skills.
Curious guitar players who are dedicated to continuous learning are the ones who shine most…unless they are a modern-day Beethoven.
Here are a few bullet points to help you understand how you could use curiosity in your everyday life:
what questions should I be asking?
what questions do I still need to be answered?
what do I not know that I should know?
what should I learn so I can improve my current situation?
You get the idea. Simply ask, and you shall receive…if you work at it.
At the beginning of this article, I discussed how learning can be a painful process. We often find it painful because of our resistance to new information. Thus, to further facilitate curiosity, try and be a little more open-minded.
And that’s all for today. Each one of these attributes, when used together, will make your learning journey much easier.
I hope this article helps you learners all over the world. Add some structure and vision to your lives. Godspeed, and do your best out there, everyone!
Keep learning out there, and I’ll see you in the next post.
You can also follow me on Instagram to keep up with new content and more fun stuff to be released in April: @gilcadiz
Thanks for reading!