Learning Can Be Fun!

When it comes to listing down my passions, there are so many I can think of. Writing, reading, and exercising are some of them. There’s something else which I’m as highly passionate about. And that’s learning. 

Learning. Do I mean studying? Oh no, not at all! Studying and learning are slightly different from each other. While studying is generally centred around academic prospects, learning goes way deeper. The goal of studying is usually to obtain a degree or certificate. Learning ends up with gaining new perspectives and knowledge (not to say studying doesn’t give us knowledge!).

Anyway, let me pose before you a question?

When was the last time you learnt something just because you felt like it, no strings attached? No matter how minuscule it might have been, something you learnt because it was.. fun?

Probably a long long time ago, I believe?

I do not understand why we have to put a tag or an end goal to learning anything new. You can do something new because you like doing it and it relaxes you. 

Let me take my brother as an example here. He loves solving the Sudoku. After a long, tiring day, he winds down by playing a game of Sudoku and also watches videos online on solving trickier ones. He watches these videos and plays the game because he likes it and it relaxes him. 

I love calligraphy and hand lettering and look up tutorials and short classes online to learn the different ways to hand letter. It will not give me any degrees or recognitions. But it will give me satisfaction and time to do what I like, and that which relaxes me.

Recently, one of my nieces painted a beautiful piece of art entirely by learning through YouTube videos. She is just 7 years old and her attention to detail and patience is something that made me awestruck! Skills like these are a rarity these days and I cannot but feel proud of my talented next generation. Here are two of her creations. Aren’t they simply amazing! 🙂

The whole point here is that there always doesn’t have to be an end goal when learning something new.

Our mindsets have shifted to viewing learning as something which involves heavy books, memorising, acing examinations and burning the midnight oil. But mindsets can always be changed, can’t they?

Changing the meaning of “learn” can change our whole approach towards life. There’s always something we can learn, be it through observing or reading or watching something. It is entirely our view points which will make what we learn fun or boring. 

We are fortunate to be in the age of booming technology where there are umpteen resources available online to learn just about anything. 

If we embrace learning rather than having a notion of it as a chore or something which we “have to do”, the day won’t be far when we fall in love with it. 

In words of Leonardo Da Vinci, “Learning never exhausts the mind.”

Do you learn just for fun? Please do comment on your favourite ways to learn and unwind! 🙂

Until next time, stay blessed!

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P.S. Here are two of my older blog posts with similar themes.

1. Learning: Age No Bar
2. Unwind. Relax. Reset.