Three Reasons Why "Learning is Forever"

I believe that everyone should never stop learning new things...

When I was still a student...
I was learning for the sake of learning. It was also for the sake of obtaining a degree to join higher-level workforce and earn my own living. I eventually entered this 'rat race' just like what everybody does; making ends meet and receiving EOM payslip which doesn't really relate to your performance at work. I used to think that working world is so dull and mundane that it'll suck your life away, especially if you have to spend 90% of your time, working...

Now that I'm experiencing the working world itself (have had experience on both extremes, busy/slack), I had to endure everything and spending 90% of your time at work is a no-joke at all. Due to this, I've been looking around for more exciting and meaningful things OUTSIDE of work. What I observed so far in this 'rat race' is how most salarymen/women get up at an exact time every morning, go to work, have lunch with colleagues, rushing for deadlines, knock off from work after 6 pm and the cycle continues the very next day. Weekends are the only time for us to feel relieved. For some types of work like the ones in hospitality/event management/financial industry, work during weekends and overtime till 9/10 pm everyday are inevitable *aww, the 'amazing' working life in this lil' red dot* Fortunately, the majority of us still have our WEEKENDS to release stress, hang out with friends and have real FUN!!

Beside having fun during weekends to recharge our worn-out 'battery', another thing that we can do to make our life less boring and more colorful is by LEARNING.

Why do we need to do so?

Learning is forever because of these following facts:

1. Learn something new frequently will excite your brain and prevent you from having:

a) mental illnesses/stress

b) chronic nervous breakdown

c) anxiety due to routinity and boredom

Personal experience:

Since I'm now working at the other extreme (not-the-stressful-too-much-work extreme), point a and b will be out of discussion here (for those who want to have a discussion on how to handle a and b through learning, just buzz me or leave a message!:P). I experienced point c a lot at the beginning but I've learned to be grateful and not base my life-satisfaction merely on work/career. I've learned to LEARN new things apart from work. Just like recently, I took these baby steps in continuous learning:

1) French and Japanese courses ~ they definitely excite my brain!! Although it means that I have less time and spend more money, I'm learning again...what a feeling! I'm one-step closer to reaching my personal goal. 加油...

2) Cooking ~ thanks to my dark period in September 08, I'm continuously upgrading my cooking skill. I can cook various things now (cook for myself most of the time:P)

3) Learn how to be spontaneous, think on my feet when I go through the day...no schedule or pre-planned activities

4) Learn how to take care of my body and health (besides sport, occasional beauty indulgence is also important :D)

5) Take different routes home, shop for groceries at different places, play sports with other groups or at different place.

These are just some of my ways to not be trap in routinity. Learning and figuring out something new can be exciting and frightening at the same time. But I'll choose the brighter side and be excited everytime. How about you?

2. Learn how to cook, to sew, to garden, to paint, to surf, to hit the gym everyday or whatever it is that interest you. Challenge yourself to do all those unknown stuff and who knows you might find new hobbies, meet new friends, travel to different places by following your heart and pursuing those interests. Continuous learning can definitely take you far and it'll also bring more colors, wisdom and reasons to feel more alive and wake up everyday with a smile.

Personal experience:

I have friend A who said that she wants to learn swimming 'coz she was bored of hitting the gym to do exercise. She wants to try other sports...

I have friend B who has a 60-year old French classmate. Yes, folks, even this 60-year-old lady still has the drive to learn foreign language (advanced level now), don't you feel you ought to do something as well? challenge yourself?

I recently played volleyball in another place on Thursday (in addition to the usual one every Tuesday). I didn't know where it is at first nor did I know all the players there. But I'm glad that I made the decision to come, it turned out to be very FUN and they are all very friendly. The same things happened in my French and Japanese classes. I meet new people and (hopefully) travel more because of these interests.

Moral of the story is there's no point freaking out even before you try something new, instead we must embrace the unknowns with courage and confidence. By doing so, we'll learn faster and adapt better to what life has to offer and we'll live a joyful life!

3. Each of us is destined to reach a 'life-crisis' at some points in our life, be it a mid-life or quarter-life crisis. In this period, we'll occasionally question ourselves, reflect and review our accomplishment and then scramble to find more meaning in life. Ultimately, we'll ask ourselves...

What is my purpose in life?

Typically, all of us go to school, get good grades, graduate, start working, earn a living, save, make ends meet, travel occasionally for holiday or work, meet your other half, get married, have kids, buy car/house, raise your kids, earn even more money, retire and eventually die, buried down the earth, back to where we belong. And of course there are twists and turns, problems and conflicts along the way that are INEVITABLE. We can't control them.

One thing that we can control though is how we react to everything that happens (good/bad). And having a never-stop-learning attitude is crucial to develop positive mindset in facing all kinds of obstacles or even in sustaining a successful life.

Personal experience:

Life-crisis usually refers to a dark period that all of us must go through in order to learn more about ourselves; about how we react to setbacks/difficulties. How mentally strong am I in the face of adversity? It's true that 'the thing that doesn't kill you only makes you stronger', but will that something leaves a scar on you? Instead of becoming stronger, are you more traumatized by it? If this is the case, it's time to learn how to let go and move on. Life goes on no matter what, Ask yourself --> 10 years later, will these things even matter anymore?

Whether you're having a quarter or mid life crisis, never give up on learning! There are valuable learning points in each incident. All of us must adopt the mind of a small child who learns new things faster, always curious & excited about everything, even the most trivial ones. Learn to appreciate our surroundings, relax and take a walk in the park or cycle along the beach. Reading our favorite books will also help to shift our focus from problems in life. The key is in learning how to control our own thoughts.

So you see? Life is all about LEARNING. Learning is forever and we should improve everyday...

Why don't YOU start learning today?

Wif luv,

-Sien-