Something that has been occupying my mind this week is the idea of becoming a lifelong student. In other words, continuing to work on yourself and learn new things in order to better yourself. I was watching a podcast episode the other day, and the podcaster was talking about how she was putting more energy and intention into certain hobbies she wanted to develop. For example, she talked about taking up piano lessons because she loved that art form. She talked about how she is currently working on her Spanish and is exploring different fitness classes to take care of her physical health. This was inspiring to me because it addresses something that I’ve learned more about and experienced this year.
Fitness as a Catalyst
I’ve talked about this before in my blog about motivation. In this blog, I explained a little bit about my background and past relationship with fitness. I also explained the motivation behind starting this brand, specifically how I started to pick up active hobbies over the summer. Fitness has been my catalyst for becoming a lifelong student, and I think it is easy to become a catalyst for something greater for many people. With the holidays coming up, my mind goes to New Year’s resolutions. I would say a major resolution that never fails to make it on people’s lists is to become more active or more fit. So many gyms see a significant increase in traffic those first couple of weeks in January.
I’m not sure why fitness is such a popular resolution. Maybe it’s because it’s such a tangible thing that you can control. Not only is it physical, but it also produces results that you can tangibly measure. I think fitness is a perfect catalyst for lifelong learning because it is healthy for your body, mind and spirit. It is an effective community-builder and just as effective if you go at it alone. It’s also so broad in the fact that you don’t have to have a gym membership. You can find free and simple ways to get into fitness. Walking your dog or getting a group of friends together to play soccer or throw a frisbee around are just a couple of ways you can start to get more active. My personal introduction into becoming a lifelong student has been fitness, but it could be anything for you. Whatever it is, I hope each and every one of you can find something that sparks a new, or old, passion for learning.
How Do I Start?
Some of you might be wondering, how do I start this process? It’s easy to talk about becoming a lifelong student when you have already dipped your toes into that process. However, some of you might be wanting to start but haven’t found that catalyst or hobby that has sparked that motivation to learn. I felt this way at the beginning of the summer. I knew I wanted to learn more about myself and find more hobbies that brought me joy, but I didn’t know where to start. Here are a couple tips for finding hobbies and starting that learning journey:
Media, Books and Entertainment
One way that I’ve found new ideas for hobbies and motivation is through podcasts and other forms of media. Personally, I’ve been listening to the Brittany Broski podcast, and I’ve found so much inspiration from her episodes. Although her content is mostly silly and covers a random range of topics, she does have very deep, human dialogue that makes you think. Those moments of vulnerability in her episodes are so relatable and give me so much admiration for her as a human being. She talks a lot about wanting to better herself for herself which is such an important concept. I know I often fall into the trap of wanting to improve for other people. While this can be an innocent and well-intentioned sentiment, at the end of the day, improving for yourself is so much more fulfilling.
Other resources you can use to jumpstart creativity are books, videos, theater, movies and other art forms. I think the arts and entertainment are so impactful and useful in creating change in your own life. Sometimes, watching your favorite person on YouTube can motivate you to be productive. For me, I love watching Remi Ashten’s YouTube videos because she motivates me to be more productive in my life. Her personality is so high-energy and organized, and her videos reflect that. She makes me want to clean my room and get my work done. Finding these people that you can watch and/or listen to can be an effective way to discover hobbies and create lifestyle change.
Get Your Friends Involved
Another effective way to get into new hobbies is through friends or a greater community you surround yourself with. Now, it might seem counterintuitive that starting self-discovery begins with other people; however, it truly is something that works! It gives you a network to be held accountable, and it creates inherent motivation to go out and do those activities because other people are depending on you. You could find some friends who have the same interest or who are just willing to participate and try something new. You could also consult any friends that are more experienced in a certain activity and learn from them. For example, if you have a friend who is really into reading, you could ask them for recommendations, or you could start a small book club with them. Getting your friends involved is an easy way to discover new hobbies because of that foundation of mutual trust. Hopefully, those activities with stick with y’all, and you can become lifelong learners together!
The Payoff
So, why should we even care to become lifelong students? I know for me as a senior graduating college in the spring, I can’t wait to leave behind my student life and move onto the next level of life. No more homework, tests, or class registration! Despite my excitement for graduation, the learning aspect of school never really leaves you. It is so important to stay curious and critical about the world around us for a myriad of reasons. Becoming a lifelong student is rewarding for yourself and for the people and society around you. There will always be something that we can learn more about. While I’m not saying that you have to care about all of the topics in the world, you should care about the act of learning.
Learning is a valuable asset that we have the opportunity to continue beyond our school days. The idea behind finding hobbies is not only to learn a new skill or activity, but to also learn something about yourself. For instance, fitness has helped me learn that I am stronger than I think. Tennis has helped me learn to be more patient and has made me realize how self-critical I am. Reading has reminded me that my imagination is robust and alive. All of these things have made me more of an interesting person and have helped me evolve character traits.
When we prioritize learning in our daily lives, we choose to better ourselves and the world around us. We are more receptive to learn from others and are more likely to be well-rounded. This is so important for our friends, family and fellow citizens. We have the ability to improve ourselves, motivate others to improve themselves and to improve our world. It all starts with being willing to learn.
If you have any ideas or want to continue this conversation, please comment down below and/or fill out the contact form!
