The Magnificence of Learning Something New Everyday
With a world full of wonders at our fingertips.
This remarkable quote inspired me to write this article:
“Curiosity is one of the great secrets of happiness.” — Bryant H. McGill.
The Importance of Being Curious
It's impressive how much we can learn by being curious. Inquisitive wonderers, lovers of the unknown, and truth seekers. In an age of AI, deep fakes, and disinformation, we must be eager to tell truth from fiction and fact from myth.
Besides procuring a formal education, we could use some TLC and self-teach ourselves as well. The definition of self-taught varies depending on the source.
The synonyms are diverse. They include self-instructed, autodidactic, self-made, unschooled, untutored, untaught, home-educated, amateur, non-professional, self-study, Sunday, weekend, and without formal education.
I can't tell you exact numbers, but I can guarantee you that the quality of what we learn equals the effort we put into the subject of our interest.
I'm always impressed when I hear about a talented person who became a music sensation without coaching. They were self-taught and are a success story. Most must study for years to accomplish what some of these guys conquer in barely months. With lots of practice, naturally.
Some people call them “naturals.” Classical music comes to mind. How is that even possible? These children have an innate learning capacity. At 5 or 6 years old, they can already perform full concerts by heart! All they do is hear a composition. They immediately identify the chords and remember them after a few plays.
I recently wrote an article on savants, and the comments on it were pretty illuminating. Some were first-hand accounts of witnessing it in their midst.
Some were autistic, and some were not, but their abilities remained just as impressive. Scientists are puzzled by what they uncovered when studying these extraordinary cases.
Ordinary, self-taught people might not be geniuses like the ones above. But your jaw drops when someone says they learnt 12 languages without professional tutoring.
Is there a technique they use? If so, how come the rest of us mortals aren't able to integrate it?
What is the secret sauce?
The Beginnings
To be self-taught, you’d need some essential elements.
Loving the subject
Curiosity
Discipline
Commitment
Exercise and practice.
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Fascination goes together with curiosity, so that's interchangeable.
Yet, sometimes without our awareness, the human brain acts like a sponge for new knowledge. If there's a significant impediment to such a dynamic, it is us.
Our inclination is to postpone. We get lazy and distracted. We even lose interest when ideas float for too long without action.
We should help our brain achieve what it needs, not ignore it or sabotage it.