You May Be More Capable of Learning Than You Think

This article was adapted from Ravinder Taylor's full InnerTalk newsletter, “What Are You Still Capable of Learning?” 

Back-to-school season naturally makes us think about children, college students, notebooks, classes and exams. But learning doesn't stop when school ends. In fact, one of the most important things we can do as we get older may be to remain curious about what we can still learn.

Sometimes the obstacle isn't ability. It's what we've learned to believe about our ability.

What Did You Decide You Couldn't Do?

Perhaps you have spent years saying:

• I'm terrible at math.
• I can't spell.
• I have a poor memory.
• I just can't concentrate.

Maybe that belief began with something a teacher said. Maybe you struggled with a subject, became embarrassed and decided you simply weren't good at it.

The trouble is that when we expect to fail, we may approach the task with anxiety, avoid practicing it, give up sooner, and interpret every mistake as confirmation that we were right all along. That can become a remarkably effective self-fulfilling prophecy.

And the same thing can happen as we get older. We notice a forgotten name, a moment of distraction, or difficulty learning some new piece of technology and think, Well, that's age.

Some changes with age are real. But we need to be careful not to surrender more ability than age is actually asking us to surrender.

Getting older is inevitable. Deciding that we're too old to keep growing isn't.

These Aren't Just School Subjects

That is one reason the programs in the Smart and Sharp album remain relevant long after graduation.

• Mathematics still matters when we manage money, compare costs, work with percentages or learn new technology.
• Reading, vocabulary and communication still matter every day.
• Concentration may be more valuable than ever in a world constantly competing for our attention.
• Memory certainly doesn't stop mattering when the exams are over.

And perhaps there are abilities you gave up on years ago that are worth revisiting simply because you are no longer the person who originally decided, I can't do that.

Learn Something Just Because You Want To

Of course, learning doesn't have to be practical.

Learn photography. Study a language. Try watercolor. Research your family history. Learn piano. Explore astronomy. Figure out how to edit a video. Learn the names of the birds in your garden.

Research with adults between 60 and 90 has even found improvements in episodic memory among people who spent sustained time learning demanding new skills such as digital photography. But improving memory doesn't have to be the reason.

Learn because learning makes life larger. If your brain benefits too, what a wonderful bonus.

Learning gives us new interests, new conversations, sometimes new friends, and more reasons to wonder what else might still be possible.

Learning is one of the ways we remain participants in our own future.

Imagine Having This When You Were at School

Sometimes I look at the programs in our Smart and Sharp album and wonder what school might have been like if we'd had this kind of support then.

The collection includes programs addressing:

• Learning and memory
• Accelerated learning
• Mathematics
• Reading
• Spelling and vocabulary
• Concentration
• Confidence in our ability to learn

Imagine approaching math already reinforcing the idea that mathematics is easy rather than carrying years of doubt into the classroom.

Imagine learning without some of those old thoughts constantly reminding you what you supposedly weren't good at.

What a head start that might have been.

We can't go back and give that advantage to our younger selves. But we can challenge those old beliefs today. And we can also offer that kind of support to our children and grandchildren.

If you're learning something new, Smart and Sharp is for you. If your children or grandchildren are at school, college, university, studying for qualifications, or struggling with a subject they've begun to believe they're “not good at,” it may also be a gift whose value lasts considerably longer than another backpack or notebook.

Smart and Sharp — Special Offer

For a limited time, the complete Smart and Sharp collection is available for:

• $99 — MP3 Download
• $119 — Physical CDs

And when you purchase Smart and Sharp during this special offer, you'll also receive Releasing Mental Blocks, a $34.95 value, FREE.

That bonus fits this collection particularly well because sometimes learning something new isn't only about acquiring information. We may also need to release an old expectation, belief or mental block that has been telling us what we cannot do.

Please explore Smart and Sharp and the special offer here.

Perhaps that's the real back-to-school message for the rest of us:

School may eventually end. Learning shouldn't.

Warmly,

Ravinder Taylor
Author of Mind Training: The Science of Self-Empowerment