The Lies About Learning
In my previous article, I talked about the principles of learning and how they set the foundation of anything that we are trying to learn. If you have not read that already, I suggest you read that article first before reading this one.
As the title suggests, this article will talk about the lies we hear when it comes to learning. There are four lies that I will go over, and I learned about these lies from Andrei Neagoie’s Learning to Learn course. It will also make sense once you realize that these four lies have nothing to do with how efficiently you can learn, and they will teach you about the right approach to take when you learn something new.
Lie Number One: You Can Avoid Big Risk
Have you ever heard of those get rich quick schemes, or have you thought that you can take shortcuts in studying just by going over the PowerPoint slides? If you think about it, no one has gotten rich very quickly without drive and persistence. It may seem like that person got rich very quickly after releasing their product to the world, but that does not mean that they did not take big risks in getting to that point. This person had to put in so much time and effort into getting this far, as well as failing many times to get to where he or she is today. There will be people out there who will tell you that you do not have to take the hard path, and instead take the easy way out. Unfortunately, these people are lying to you if they think that you can be successful without taking risks.
Another example is when it comes to learning in the classroom. Even IF your teacher says to just read the PowerPoint slides to study for the exam, you are NOT learning. Instead, you are just memorizing slides to ace an exam, and once that exam is over, chances are that you will not remember anything. Learning involves reading the textbook, taking notes, being able to recall the information that you have learned, testing yourself and teaching others what you have learned. I will go over the learning techniques in another article, but the main takeaway is that you CANNOT avoid risk. Risk is part of the process and you will not learn if you do not take risks.
Lie Number Two: Trust This One Person
When you are learning, it is always good to talk to people who have become experts in their field. The keyword is people. Do not just listen to what one person has to say about how they made it to where they are today, or how they were able to accomplish their goals. We tend to only look at one person for advice. People give advice based on things that worked for them. Just because it may have worked for them, it may not work for you. I had a really good friend in high school who was a very quick learner, but it was also because he had photographic memory, so just viewing a page in a textbook and having a snapshot of it in his mind worked for him, but that could not work for me. It is better to listen to different opinions because you may learn that there could be a better way in doing something. For example, when I was learning how to program, I would get opinions from my peers and instructors, rather than just one person, and this really opened my eyes on how I can get better at my software crafting skills. I still do it to this day. There isn’t always just one way of doing something; there can be multiple ways. This is why it is always good to look at different opinions.
I know you must be thinking that if it is better to get different opinions on something, why did I just reference one course that taught me about learning? There are other sources that I get my knowledge from, such as The Motivation Manifesto by Brendan Burchard, as well as Trailblazer by Marc Benioff. Another book I have been reading is Brain Rules by John Medina. Many of these books mention the same principles when it comes to learning and growing.
Lie Number Three: The 10,000 Hour Rule
If you have heard about the 10,000 hour rule, where you spend 10,000 hours on any skill in order to become world-class, it is actually not a universal truth and it has been debunked here. It is not just practice that counts. In certain fields, genetics also counts, such as playing in the NBA or the NFL, and even if I were to spend 10,000 hours shooting basketball hoops, I would not even be close to joining the NBA. Genetics, personality and life history also make up a majority of the difference in how you become good at something. This goes back to the principle of the dip, where you may not be cut out for something, since not everyone can do anything that they want, such as being a world-class singer or athlete. In the article I have shared above, Brian Resnick provides these statements which are very important for all of us to know.
The 10,000-hour rule perpetuates the exhausting idea that we all can, and therefore should, be great at anything we put our minds to. And it can blind us to the joy that can be found in mediocrity. The 10,000-hour rule is compelling in a world that clings to the idea that people rise up through society based on merit.
So let me say it here: If you’re not the smartest, best person in the room, it doesn’t mean you’re useless. (And ironically, the benefits of being the most competent person in a room include being handed more assignments — because, hey, you can handle it.) If you’re bad at sports, you’re still doing your body right by being outside exercising. We ought to be able to enjoy the things we’re not great at and shouldn’t feel pressured to continually do better.
I suggest that you read the article I have linked to regarding the 10,000 hour rule being debunked. The overall message here is that it is not just practice that makes you good at something, since there are other factors that also come into play.
Follow Your Passion
Now many of you reading this must be thinking, “wait, we were told that if we follow our passions we will be happy in life”. I thought the same thing too when I learned that following your passion is actually a lie when it comes to learning and being successful. Passion is something that can be developed over time when you try to get better and better at something, but you do not need to find a passion to see where your destiny lies. I can give you an example. In college, there was a student who was really passionate about how the iPhone worked and he wanted to work for Apple. However, when he hit roadblocks in tough courses, he gave up and decided that computer science was not for him. Therefore, even though he was passionate about the iPhone and other Apple products, he realized that he did not want to have a career in it. So even though you may really like something, you may not want to have a career in that field. Do you know how many times I have seen people on TV saying that they are passionate about what they do, but either their actions don’t show it or they do not have the ability to do it (singing for example). On an episode of Restaurant Impossible, a restaurant was in dire need of improving their management and their environment. The restaurant owner said she was passionate about the restaurant, and Robert Irvine (the host) snapped at her saying how can this be your passion when your restaurant is in shambles?
Passion is overrated. Self-recognition makes you enjoy your work. Learning is a craft so you should have a craftsman mindset. As a software engineer, I am always working on bettering my craft, and because of this craftsman mindset, I end up loving what I do because I want to get better at it and be able to teach others in a way that is easily understandable. Mark Cuban says that people should focus more on their strengths rather than their passions, and perfecting that strength can become a passion. You can read the article here regarding a study that was done when it comes to following your passions.
When you are really good at something, you get this rewarding feeling as you have been perfecting your craft and you have others that give you respect and you are known to be knowledgable in that particular field. This is what keeps people going. It is the fact that you get better at your craft, have people look up to you and how you can make an impact to society. As the author and professor Cal Newport says, “Be so good they can’t ignore you”. You can check out his book here if you are interested.
