Education – School, Work and Life

My Mom used to yell at us as we were running out the door to catch the bus for school to “learn something today!”

I did the same thing to my kids as they were heading off to school. Education, whether it be in a school atmosphere, work related or every day life’s lessons, helps us become better people.

The old saying of learn something new every day can be a great way to improve your life in many ways.

According to lesoned.com, learning can help you improve your skill and knowledge base, better problem solving, and even earn you a job. Lifehack.org suggests that learning helps us more easily and readily adapt to new situations, feeds innovation by inspiring us to think creatively, and deepens our character. BBC explains that learning a new skill will give your brain a workout in ways that are measurable, and can reduce stress, create new brain connections, get your body in a state of flow, release dopamine, make you happier, better at juggling tasks and potentially smarter. Learning also expands and stimulates our mind as we gain new knowledge, which can sharpen our critical thinking and help us understand the world better.

I am aware of the value of learning something new every day when I am babysitting my grandchildren. I see the determination in my youngest grandchild as she tries to do something over and over again and when I ask if I can help, she tells me; “I do myself.” Or when I see the wonder in her eyes as she discovers something new and exciting, like getting to hold her one-month-old cousin and gazing into his eyes to see a real-life doll.

The new year always brings the opportunity to set some goals to learn something new. I think the key to keeping those goals is to be like my granddaughter, having determination to just do it and then discovering the wonder and excitement of “I did it!”