How Learning a New Skill Helps Your Mind Grow Stronger
With 2018 just around the corner, everyone is thinking about New Year's resolutions. Some people like to point out that resolutions can be made all year round, and that's perfectly true. But while we shouldn't need a new year to start working on ourselves, and while resolutions may seem like a cliche, this time of year really is a great opportunity to start fresh and get started. look forward to what we want to accomplish next year.
I like to make a few resolutions every year, but I keep one thing every year: keep learning. Specifically, challenge yourself to learn a new skill every year, a skill that makes sense (i.e. something other than just being able to balance your fidget spinner on your nose). More importantly, I'm not just talking about my own industry. Of course, everyone should strive to keep up to date with trends in their industry and learn the new skills that will be needed as technology advances. But this resolution is literally about learning. To learn something new.
Physiologically, learning new things is good for the brain. According to CCSU Business & Development, practicing a new skill increases the density of the brain's myelin, or white matter, which helps improve performance on a range of tasks. Additionally, learning new skills stimulates neurons in the brain, allowing more neural pathways to form and electrical impulses to travel through them faster. The combination of these two things will help you learn better. It may even help prevent dementia.
Learning a new skill was pretty much how I decided what I wanted to do with my life. Growing up in Canada, ice hockey was my passion. Flying above the ice made me feel like I could fly, and most importantly, it was fun.
But when I broke my knee, I couldn't play hockey anymore. In case you didn't know, the sport is quite difficult, so continuing was out of the question. And with the injury, sports activities were out of the question. I ended up spending a lot of time in my bedroom, in front of my computer, learning to design. This led me to start my first web design business and the rest is history.
I recently learned to dive. New environments have always fascinated me. The idea of being able to breathe underwater intoxicated me. The course was not long, only a few days. He covered the usual stuff: safety precautions, basic skills on how to use your gear, and what to do in an emergency. The instructors were more focused on getting us in the water as quickly as possible. There was no way to read about the state of mind to have underwater. The biggest lesson I learned was not to panic when panic felt so natural. They intentionally force you to take off your gear and hide underwater. They show you what to do when you run out of air. Everything is designed to keep you comfortable and not panic or fight, which only uses more air and makes your time below the surface increasingly limited. What did I take away from it? That there is no reason to panic in any industry. Which will only freak out everyone around you. That there is almost always a way out, even if the solution is atypical.
Acquire a New Mindset
Not only did these lessons serve as a powerful reminder of an important mindset to have in business and life, but they also helped recharge my spirit. While we always think recharging is synonymous with relaxation, sometimes it's best to immerse yourself in something to distract you from the day. I didn't start scuba diving because I thought it would make me a better problem solver or help me overcome inhibitions in my job or anything. But learning something new naturally, without the pressure being directly related to my career, refreshed my mind and helped me see things differently.
As you look forward to the new year, think of something absolutely awesome you want to learn more about. Maybe you would like to learn to cook or master a new language. Either way, and whatever its direct application to your career, learning something new can only help you. New year, new skills.
Read Also : How many asteroids fly past earth... And how many could be dangerous?
How Learning a New Skill Helps Your Mind Grow Stronger
With 2018 just around the corner, everyone is thinking about New Year's resolutions. Some people like to point out that resolutions can be made all year round, and that's perfectly true. But while we shouldn't need a new year to start working on ourselves, and while resolutions may seem like a cliche, this time of year really is a great opportunity to start fresh and get started. look forward to what we want to accomplish next year.
I like to make a few resolutions every year, but I keep one thing every year: keep learning. Specifically, challenge yourself to learn a new skill every year, a skill that makes sense (i.e. something other than just being able to balance your fidget spinner on your nose). More importantly, I'm not just talking about my own industry. Of course, everyone should strive to keep up to date with trends in their industry and learn the new skills that will be needed as technology advances. But this resolution is literally about learning. To learn something new.
Physiologically, learning new things is good for the brain. According to CCSU Business & Development, practicing a new skill increases the density of the brain's myelin, or white matter, which helps improve performance on a range of tasks. Additionally, learning new skills stimulates neurons in the brain, allowing more neural pathways to form and electrical impulses to travel through them faster. The combination of these two things will help you learn better. It may even help prevent dementia.
Learning a new skill was pretty much how I decided what I wanted to do with my life. Growing up in Canada, ice hockey was my passion. Flying above the ice made me feel like I could fly, and most importantly, it was fun.
But when I broke my knee, I couldn't play hockey anymore. In case you didn't know, the sport is quite difficult, so continuing was out of the question. And with the injury, sports activities were out of the question. I ended up spending a lot of time in my bedroom, in front of my computer, learning to design. This led me to start my first web design business and the rest is history.
I recently learned to dive. New environments have always fascinated me. The idea of being able to breathe underwater intoxicated me. The course was not long, only a few days. He covered the usual stuff: safety precautions, basic skills on how to use your gear, and what to do in an emergency. The instructors were more focused on getting us in the water as quickly as possible. There was no way to read about the state of mind to have underwater. The biggest lesson I learned was not to panic when panic felt so natural. They intentionally force you to take off your gear and hide underwater. They show you what to do when you run out of air. Everything is designed to keep you comfortable and not panic or fight, which only uses more air and makes your time below the surface increasingly limited. What did I take away from it? That there is no reason to panic in any industry. Which will only freak out everyone around you. That there is almost always a way out, even if the solution is atypical.
Acquire a New Mindset
Not only did these lessons serve as a powerful reminder of an important mindset to have in business and life, but they also helped recharge my spirit. While we always think recharging is synonymous with relaxation, sometimes it's best to immerse yourself in something to distract you from the day. I didn't start scuba diving because I thought it would make me a better problem solver or help me overcome inhibitions in my job or anything. But learning something new naturally, without the pressure being directly related to my career, refreshed my mind and helped me see things differently.
Read Also : How many asteroids fly past earth... And how many could be dangerous?As you look forward to the new year, think of something absolutely awesome you want to learn more about. Maybe you would like to learn to cook or master a new language. Either way, and whatever its direct application to your career, learning something new can only help you. New year, new skills.