Learning - Matthew A. Hawkins

I’m thankful I’ve been out of school for almost 6 years now. Going straight to college from High School had its plusses sure, but being out of college has brought a whole new passion and desire for learning in my life. I guess once you’re out of something you appreciate it more, or maybe not. I’ve been thinking over the ways that I’ve learned to learn and the ways I’ve picked up on how I learn better. So this isn’t necessarily going to work for you, but maybe you can pick up some ideas and adapt them for yourself. Trying Something New I get to work with a bunch of different software. The depth in most of it is amazing. It almost feels like I’ve only scratched the surface. I probably have. The only way I know I can learn more about the software, applications, and equipment I get to use, is if I just jump in and try it. If I don’t try something new I’ll just get left behind.

Be a Kid I love the movie ‘Elf’. I think it’s hilarious and look forward to the one month of the year that I get to watch it, my wife not so much. Did you know that kids ask almost 20x more questions then adults do? Do you think adults just get older and figure they know it all and don’t need to ask any more questions? I think so. Adults seem to get arrogant and proud and just stop learning how to learn. In my day-to-day life I try to ask questions any time I don’t know something. If it sounds stupid, it just might be, I choose not to care, I want to know what’s going on and why? Ask away.

Read Read everything and anything. One conversation I had with someone sounded like this: Matt ‘Do you read much?’ Guy ‘Yeah man I love to read.’ Matt ‘Oh what do you like to read? Who are some of your favorite authors?’ Guy ‘Oh I don’t read books, but I read the trashy Province paper every day!’ YES (please sense my tone right now) reading a tabloid style newspaper everyday is educational. Or maybe not. When I say read, I mean read everything (including trashy tabloids). Read newspapers, blogs, rants, books, how to manuals, twitter feeds, other people’s writing, and more. You’ll feel smarter and you’ll have a lot to say next time people are trying number 2.

Those are just a few ways I’ve picked up on learning to learn. The world is so big and so vast that there is so much for us to learn. Carpe Diem! Grab a hold of it and take it for all it’s worth. Love to learn, learn to learn and who knows what you’ll come up with.

Funny enough Pete Wilson wrote about learning today too. Click HERE