Learning something new is part of life! We are continually growing and adjusting to the world around us. While learning is wonderful, it is not an entirely easy process. If you do not know what you should learn next, I made this worksheet with 25 ideas for you– plus an article on the benefits of learning if you need a little more convincing. Keep reading to learn how we learn and six tips to help you through the process!
RELATED: Five Reasons to Start Learning Something New Today
Learning Style
Everyone is unique, and everyone’s learning style is unique. Did you know there are seven different learning styles? Before looking into this, I thought there were just three– physical, auditory and visual. But there are seven! I made an infographic to show you the different learning styles or you could read about them here!
Knowing your learning style is great because you can adjust the way you are learning to better fit you. There is no single best way to learn, you can have a mix of different learning styles, and your learning style can change. I guess this shows how true it was that everything is temporary, even our learning styles. Take this free quiz here that gives your results in a lovely graph showing how much of each learning type you are! After finding your learning style, you can use the tips I outlined below to get the best learning experience!
Tips on Learning
1 | Measure your progress
It can be easy to feel like we are not making progress when in fact we are! We must compare our progress to ourselves, not to what someone else can do. This can be hard when we see others lives’ on social media and find ourselves in comparison with them- but we are only in competition with ourselves! Use your habit tracker to measure how often you are practicing and take notes with what is working and what is not. You can use your journal to write down how your progress is going and how you feel about the process too!
2 | Reward Yourself
Be proud that you are learning something new! It is all too easy to stay in our comfort zones so the fact that you are working towards something and growing is amazing! You can use this habit tracker to mark off after you have spent a certain amount of time on what you are learning. Maybe you reward yourself after you practice for two weeks straight or if you practice a certain number of days a month. Make sure you choose your reward and standards early and state them clearly!
RELATED: Your Little Victories and Big Reasons to Celebrate!
3 | Stay motivated
Learning something new can be a frustrating process. That is why staying motivated is key (check out my article on five tips for motivation here)! An amazing motivation tool I use is my vision board! Whatever you are learning, you can put a representation of it up on your vision board! I also have a section on my vision board for past accomplishments as a reminder of what I am capable of! If you want help, I created a vision board printable to help get you started!
4 | Utilize Help
When you are learning something new, you do not need to learn on your own, unless you prefer to. There are so many ways we can learn in this day and age! There are a lot of workshops, online classes, and even free YouTube classes to help teach you something new! Maybe you can find a whole group of beginners learning what you are. There is no shame in starting from the beginning- because, really, where else are you supposed to start? Use your support system and remember that you are never alone!
5 | Learning is Not Linear and Takes Time
Remember that we should not be afraid of failure, but how we recover from failure. Learning is a process with ups and downs. But no matter where you are in the learning process, you are still learning- which you should be proud of! When you are struggling it is also showing how hard you are working to learn- and a sign that you will be up soon! Results will not come right away, but as long as you are putting in the time and effort to practice and learn you are on the right track! I made this chart below to show how you progress over time when learning.
6 | Have Fun
Have fun with the learning process – choose to learn a song on the piano you love to sing or make a craft that makes you laugh! When I took a ceramics class we had to build a teapot for our project. I was struggling a lot in the class but there was no size requirement. So I built a teapot that can fit in my hand. Instead of stressing over not being able to use the ceramic wheel, I embraced my level of ceramics and love my handheld teapot (that would spill any liquid if used and whose lid does not fit). It is exciting to learn something new and it should be another positive part of your life!
Learning For Life
I am planning to never stop learning- maybe I will be able to learn all 25 on this list! Life is full of wondrous adventure out there and one way to create some adventure is learning something new! Now that you know your learning style and these tips you are well on your way to a life full of learning!
Do you know what learning styles you have? Please comment below and tell me what you think of my tips on learning something new and any of yours to add! If you know someone who could benefit from this article, please show you care and share the bear! Be sure to sign up for my emails and follow on social media to get the most of the positive world of Brightside Bear!
