What do you find to be the key to learning? Is there any special method that you have found to be effective in gaining knowledge? It’s a proven fact that lifelong learners are happier and a more successful in the long run. In school we were taught to memorize facts, figures, and formulas but in the arena of real life the skills and talents we need to succeed are more multi-dimensional and don’t fall into such easy categories.
The old adage of doing something for 10,000 hours gets thrown around a lot, and the old saw ‘practice makes perfect’ certainly has merit. But while repetition has its benefits, it’s when we challenge ourselves to apply our newfound skills in different ways that we make real progress.
For me, there’s a couple things that I’ve baked into my life that keep my learning wheels turning. Reading has always been a big part of my life, every since my earliest days attending a one room schoolhouse in Colorado. We would make one trip into town from the ranch every week and my mom would drop me off at the library while she went grocery shopping. I was allowed to check out 10 books which I would devour in my treehouse before returning the next week for ten more.
More recently I’ve developed some routines around my reading that serve me particularly well. In the morning with my tea, after I’ve logged my dreams into the rolling journal that I keep in Evernote, and handwritten a page in my gratitude and vision notebook, I make a point to read a few pages from something positive, inspiring, or uplifting. (i.e.: Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh; The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle; Power vs. Force by David Hawkins, etc) This helps get my brain into a good groove before punctuating my morning with a run and a shower, after which I’m ready to do some real writing, or react to emails and handle business.
Mid-day is for non-fiction. Business development, sales and marketing, and entrepreneurial stories are all nourishing if I’m reading over lunch. It’s also the time of day that I might indulge myself in a few pages of Vanity Fair, the only magazine to which I subscribe. And I will confess to a bit of screen reading via Flipboard on my iPhone to catch up on current events during in-between moments throughout the day. (Flipboard is also where you can read Conscious Dancer magazine, curated by members of Dance First.)
The end of the day is strictly for pleasure. Studies have shown that reading high-quality narrative fiction increases empathy and emotional intelligence. After several hours each day on the computer or in video chats it’s incredibly satisfying to soothe my brain with the quiet reflection of a good story on the printed page before bedtime. I lean towards authors who are quick-witted, urbane, and intellectually meaty. (Robertson Davies, Tom Wolfe, T.C. Boyle, and Tom Robbins all come to mind.) I find good books to be like good records—easily composted and returned to years later for renewed satisfaction.
The flip side of learning is teaching, and that’s why doing one-on-one coaching and small group trainings is turning out to be such a blast. I’m finding that there’s nothing quite as effective for anchoring the things that I learn as teaching them to other people. You’ve probably had this experience in your own life, once you assimilate some knowledge enough to pass it on to others it brings you to a whole new level of understanding.
The most fun part about working with people individually is when I see them light up after they approach a challenge from a new perspective. It’s so delightful to be of service in a way that creates real results and lasting change in people’s lives.
I trust that by offering you a window into how learning, reading, and teaching all serve to improve my life, that you may be inspired to bring more of these things into your own. You are a creator with immense talent, and I encourage you to share your brilliance with others and help our shared spiral of consciousness continue to rise!
Much love, see you next week!
DANCE FIRST MEDIA PARTNER SPOTLIGHT – VAU DE VIRE SOCIETY AND THE SOILED DOVE!
I raved about this event last year when it was held at San Francisco’s Cell Space (R.I.P.). So happy to report that this epic event has a life of it’s own, and will be offered this weekend in Alameda in a huge Italian Circus tent, procured by the producers so that they will never be at a loss for a venue again! Vau de Vire Society is also notorious for co-producing both the Edwardian Ball and New Bohemia NYE in San Francisco, as well as collaborating with Outside Lands, Burning Man, and Cirque de Soleil.
The Soiled Dove is a multi-dimensional extravaganza designed to appeal to anyone who appreciates real dynamic entertainment. To wit: “An immersive, circus-infused dinner theater set in the reincarnation of SF’s Barbary Coast red light district. Expect an engaging evening filled with danger, decadence, world-renowned performance & a culinary extravaganza worthy of royalty. Guests are encouraged to put a little (or a lot) of effort into their attire. Circus & theatrics by Vau de Vire. Interactive gourmet dinner by Work of Art. Music by Jazz Mafia/Realistic Orchestra. Under Italy’s Tortona Big Top.”
Think bawdy-burlesque meets steampunk-circus with a live Jazz-age soundtrack and you’ll start to get the idea. The fact that it’s so well produced and the food is actually excellent, (and served so you can eat an entire four-course meal on your feet without utensils!) makes this a high-vibe event that transcends ordinary entertainment on any number of levels.
Liberal libations are available, and a sophisticated night out for grownups will be had by all. This is the event to take someone to that you want to impress with the most outrageous and extravagant that the Bay Area has to offer.
This Friday and Saturday Night, July 15-16, Alameda, CA.
Epic 2-minute video trailer of The Soiled Dove by Nick Kasimatis
The Soiled Dove Website
Vau de Vire Society on Facebook
Tickets on Eventbrite
