Have you ever been in a situation when you set a learning goal, maybe at work or in your personal life and you couldn’t achieve it, and now you are feeling guilty, demotivated, left out or worst ‘unworthy’ ?
While all of these feelings are justified, there’s a fundamental aspect to all of it, which you might be missing, and that is,
‘Curiosity’.
Yes, that’s right. Curiosity is what you might be missing while doing all of your plannings.
You see… we tend to get influenced by what people are doing around us, and most often we assume those paths to be our destinations as well, often subconsciously… and sooner or later they reflects in our goals as well.
These goals, that you defined out of influence, will bring you dissatisfaction, stress and can take to you paths, that may go against your core beliefs and values.
In the context of learning, let me call it out for you, “Learning was never the goal, to begin with; It was the byproduct of curiosity and genuine interest.”
There are many reasons behind, us believing learning to be a ‘goal’.
Knowing something, and showing it off, gives a boost to our ego… it can help make impressions in job interviews, get fame, status and bring food on table as well.
But that’s it.
That’s all where it can take, if it’s not curiosity driven. Because, remember that’s what was your motive behind learning that topic, to begin with.
Goal based laernings will leave you with feeling of frustratin and demotivation when not completed, even if you force yourself and complete it, you'll still endup dissatisfied most of the times and will have that feeling of hallowness in you, which will block you from calling it confidently that you know it.
Most of us, specifically in professional career, have lost the ‘joy of wonder’ we used to have as kid.
We have lost the art of being unapologetically creative in our own way.
We drop ideas and projects, because someone has already done it... this kills curiosity, you never knew what you might have discovered or learned by going after those paths.
Recently, I have started dedicating a portion of my time to re-kindle the joy of wonder that i used to have as kid, to unapologetically go after things, which feels interesting to me, irrespective of how unimportant, outdated, taken for granted, unknown, easy, or hard, it may look to anyone else. Doing things no matter how many have already done it.
Just going after things out of sheer interest, with no definite motive,to get something out of it, or connect it to any means of output, or to show it off. This gives an imeense pleasure and feeling of freedom.
This feels like a play instead of a task, no dissatisfaction or frustration involved, irrespective of outcome.
This is slowly restoring those vague memories of joyful sparks of curiosities, I used to have.
I understand that this advice might not be practical for many of you, but dedicating a portion of your time to keep that spark of raw curiosity alive in you, can give you the joy you may never find anywhere.
If you notice, most of the difference makers, are going (and have been going) after their interest unapologetically, and they don’t care even if they are out of trend and how they are seen by anyone else.