Learning

I loved my co-founder Jeff Hamaoui’s blog post a couple of years ago about how the impostor’s syndrome can be remade into an explorer’s mindset (https://bit.ly/3GlvafJ). What an empowering idea.

If Dick can pluck some strings pushing 100 (sharing a video on Instagram (tinyurl.com/dvd-ukulele), no less), you can become a beginner at something as well. My favorite cocktail party question to someone I've never met is, "In what part of your life are you a beginner these days?"

To Indigenous cultures in both Baja and Santa Fe, the hummingbird (“colibri”) is a messenger of joy. It stands for intelligence, beauty, devotion, and love.

One early morning, while at MEA in Baja (a beloved sanctuary), I jogged to Playa Cerritos and went in the ocean. I did this by myself, which, in retrospect, was not a good idea. The ocean—a dear childhood friend—was calling me. I didn’t realize how strongly.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” - Futurist Alvin Toffler (more than 50 years ago)

I loved stumbling upon this article that distinguishes between expiring skills and permanent skills. Here’s an excerpt:

What is the purpose of college? The dictionary suggests "an educational institution or establishment, in particular one providing higher education or specialized professional or vocational training." Not surprisingly, the definition says nothing about being purely for those who have just entered adulthood.

Without mistakes, how do we learn? A baby has no self-consciousness in moving from crawling to walking. Why do we find learning so painful as we become full-fledged adults?

My new work buddy is ChatGPT. To me, she identifies as female, although she didn’t actually tell me that. Since she doesn’t have preferred pronouns you can choose to assign whatever gender identity you like, or not.

I’ve always appreciated the four stages of learning (as outlined below), which offer a powerful guide to move our learning outcomes from freak-out to flow.