For me the last five (nearly six) months has been a huge learning experience. I went from the structure and security of a full-time job to becoming self-employed. I am also learning a new healing modality which I can add to my Mind|Body|Soul| wellness tool kit. There have been days when I didn’t think that my brain could take in any more new stuff.
My relationship and approach to learning has been pretty average up until now. Here’s a bit of background. It took me two goes to get School C - the OG of NCEA. My first attempt saw me get very average C marks, this was well before the “Cs get Degrees” phrase became popular. My friends all sailed through the exam, left school and started working. All those school reports that said “easily gets distracted” were probably right on the money, as second time around I passed School C with As and Bs.
I started working in a law firm and decided to study for my legal executive papers. Did the first paper and just missed out on passing by 4 marks. Layer that on top of my first failed School C attempt and I shelved the whole learning for enjoyment thing. Obviously, I was still learning through life experiences. I started new jobs, moved and worked in London for a while, relocated from Auckland to Hamilton and then went from a city girl to a farmer’s wife. Learning because I wanted too and enjoyed it? Absolutely not!
I now realise that my approach to learning was coming from a very fixed mindset. So, what does a fixed mindset sound like?
I’m probably not going to pass, so what’s the point in trying.
I’ll look dumb if I fail.
I’ll get criticised if I don’t do it right.
It’s too hard so I am going to give up/not even try.
I could never be as successful as my friends so why bother.
I don’t want to make any mistakes.
After doing my holistic life coaching diploma I thought I had turned a corner with how I felt about learning…until I started learning about Neuro Touch (www.neurotouch.co.nz). I felt some of those fixed mindset feelings towards learning come creeping back in. Then I took a step back and started to focus on the successes I’d had with learning new stuff. For example:
The ballet exams I sat and got Honours in (when I was quite a bit younger, see photo below 😊);
School C (version 2.0);
The Microsoft Office User exams that I sailed through;
The business management course;
Reiki levels 1 and 2,
all of which I passed.
All that overwhelmed-ness (yes, I might have just made that word up) was completely my own doing. My very supportive Neuro Touch teacher was not expecting me to know everything straight away. I was trying to run before I could walk. Just recently I had posted a quote about “Allow yourself to be a beginner, no one starts off being excellent”. I am going to follow this advice and enjoy my beginner status.
“Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching.”
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