The "Beginner" Brain

I'm reading the book Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. In the first chapter, Reynolds writes a wonderful explanation of some of the principles in Dan Pink's book A Whole New Mind. In chapter two, he asserts that approaching tasks with a "beginner's mind" will allow for more creativity and the possibility of even better ideas. I love this idea, especially as I watch young children who are still excited about learning and the discovery process. Watching an infant fascinated by bubbles and water coming out of a faucet really puts everything in perspective. Somewhere in our quest for adulthood, or success, or whatever, many of us have lost our bubble fascination. Today, let's find joy and wonder in the simple things and maybe find a little learning along the way.

(Thing #2) Habits of Lifelong Learning

I consider myself a lifelong learner, but sometimes the amount of new things I want to learn is overwhelming. For me, the easiest thing about being a lifelong learner these days is using technology to my advantage. With the Internet and Web 2.0 tools, it is easy to find information on just about any topic. The most difficult part about being a lifelong learner for me is viewing problems as challenges, especially when tackling the learning of so many things at once. So, it is recommended to focus on goals and set a path. Like this quote from Confucius in a presentation from the PLCMC, "Even a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step." Happy stepping!