Human beings are created with the gift, or the curse, of conscious thought and self-awareness, depending on how you look at it. Simply put, “I think, therefore, I am.”
For the record, at BAM!, we will consider it a gift and a blessing. Although, if the truth be told, there may be some days that we do wonder…
Whatever your opinion may be about self-awareness (blessing or a curse) the fact remains the same, most of us human beings do have it. The how and the why we have self-awareness are questions to be answered in different articles. For the ”Why?’ question alone, the answers for that question can be incredibly subjective and open to interpretation. Volumes can be written and discussed as to why humans have conscious thought. We will table that discussion for now.
The Question: Just What Are We Supposed To Do With Our Mind?
Here today, in the here and the right now, we humans have conscious thought whether we like it or not, and so the question that needs to be answered for ourselves, for each and every one of us and for ourselves, at an individual level, is what are we (as an individual) supposed to do with our self awareness?
The fact that we are (well, at least, should be) self-aware comes from some function of our brain. The human mind is a wonderfully marvelous tool that we possess and is one of the main things that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom. The Lion may be the King of the Jungle, but even as frail as we humans are, with our minds, even we meek human beings can beat the Mighty Lion.
Our minds, and our conscious thought and the self awareness that our minds allow us to have can be considered the greatest tool that we humans possess.
One universal question that has been pondered through the ages is what should we be doing with our brain power? “I think, therefore I am.” Okay, sure. We get that. But now what? What are we supposed to do with the “super-tool” that is our mind?
One Answer For What To Do With Our Minds
If we were to consider our mind as a muscle, then the simple answer to the question of what to do with our mind, as with all muscles, is that we continually exercise it. And then the next obvious question is, how do we exercise the muscle that is our mind? The simple answer: Never stop learning new, valuable and productive things. No matter what your age is, always keep learning.
We should never become complacent with the knowledge that we have and hold in our minds. We should all always be continually looking to expand our knowledge of valuable and relevant information.
Young? We Will Teach You….
From the time we’re children, we’re pushed to learn things. Schools have been created to teach us basic knowledge and skills so that when we mature we are able to become relatively functional and productive members of our societies. That is the hope, at least.
For many of us, school days can be long, tedious and boring. If there ever was proof of the passing of time being relative ask a grade-school student how fast time passes in the final minutes of the last day of school before summer vacation!
Yes, we may need to learn, but good-golly, you would think that there was a better way! (How we are taught is another discussion for another day).
Whether you enjoyed your time spent in school or not, by adulthood, most people are somewhat relieved when the so-called learning portion of their lives is over and they can venture out and start to do something in the real-world. The problem is that saying goodbye to learning isn’t really such a good idea. There are so many benefits of lifelong learning and simply stopping the learning process with graduation, and a diploma is a very serious and detrimental mistake.
Older? Learn What You Want!
One aspect of learning as an adult that we should really embrace is that as adults, and for most of us, with formal learning behind us, we can choose topics to learn about that interest us . We can learn at our own pace, in a manner that best suits our learning style and about things that we would like to know more about.
Another point about continual learning is that the subjects that we can choose to learn about do not need to be high-level topics such as meta-physics or Greek philosophy and history. Sure! They most certainly can be if that is what interests you, but if your preference is to learn about the history of doughnuts, or how to play the spoons, then go right ahead! We will suggest that once you have exhausted the material of a more “simple” topic of learning, that you do go find new topics of discovery for yourself.
So, What Are Some Of The Benefits Of Continual And Lifelong Learning?
Solutions Are Easier To Find
A brain kept sharp through continuous learning is going to be better at finding solutions to problems, in part because of better cognitive function. As you learn more, you may also learn how to learn. You will hopefully get better at acquiring and retaining new information. Also, because there’s just more knowledge available to draw on to find a solution.
You Just Sound Smarter
When you constantly challenge yourself to find out new things, your conversation shows the effects. You’re more up on current events, and your ability to talk intelligently in social situations increases. Knowledge also raises your credibility on social media, especially on sites such as LinkedIn, which is essential when job hunting. By knowing more from learning, in the right conversation, you will have relevant and interesting things to say and add to the conversation.
You Are Better Prepared
Not sure what to do in a crisis? Spend time learning. By understanding the basics of first aid or how things are supposed to function in your workplace or in other environments that you may spend a regular amount of time in, you will be better able to handle an emergency situation.
If being the “goto” person in a physical injury situation is important to you, then start your learning by taking a first-aid course.
One of the major ideas that we at BAM! are trying to pass on to you men, is that as you become more aware, and we all do need to be more aware, we then become better prepared to manage all of the crap that life can throw at us.
You Mind Sparks
Looking for an idea or new perspective? Perhaps you want to be more creative? You can easily enhance each of those areas through learning new things.
As you learn and know more, it can be like your mind has a larger ingredient set to pull from to make new and different mental recipes!
Or, starting to learn one thing could lead you to new and different topics to discover that you otherwise may not have known about or even previously had any interest in.
You Become A More Capable and Confident Employee
When you’re always learning in the workplace, you become more self-assured in your work, and this can become a feeling you’ll start carrying with you into other aspects of your life. It’s this air of confidence attitude that can get you noticed, especially when the time comes for promotions.
The feeling that you get from becoming more self-assured at work, or school, or whatever leads to the fact that
You Become a More Capable And Confident Person, Overall!
It Is Good for Your Brain
Finally, perhaps one of the most important reasons for pursuing knowledge is that it’s simply just very good for your brain.
Studies have shown a brain engaged and continuously challenged with new information is sharper and with better cognitive skills. The benefits don’t stop there. Learning means your brain keeps growing by creating new neural pathways. Learning things has also been proven to help prevent Alzheimer’s and other effects of dementia. It has even shown to reverse some of the impact of those issues as you age.
No wonder it’s a good reason to keep learning as you grow older!
Always Learning Is Not Boring.
Yes, learning can be boring. Even with a topic that truly interests you, there will be parts of the information that are hard to digest and comprehend and this can lead to the sense of becoming bored.
But look, change the topic if you need to. Learning about something that you care about is a much better use of your time then just binge watching another TV series on one of the, now, too many available streaming services. Anyway, after you have watched 2 or 3 seasons of the series, do seasons 4 through 20 really change that much? No. They do not.
Season after season, episode after episode, with binge watching a series, it all seems to blur and become one mess of nothing in your mind. And then you become bored with the series, switch over to a new series and the cycle just ends up repeating itself. If you stop and take the time to consider this, you should be able to see that even with all of the selection available, they are mostly all the same, and therefore, certainly after time, are boring.
Whatever free-time that you may have in your life is yours to use. Why not use that time for something that is not boring? Learning is interesting and is very good for you. End boredom in your life. Constantly learn new things.
You can at least read more books!
Conclusion
Lifelong learning is something to be pursued, not just because it’s ‘good for you’ like taking a proverbial vitamin pill. Chasing after learning can be both enlightening and fun and will serve you well throughout your entire life. With that in mind, it’s an easy decision to become a lifelong learner. Only through the constant pursuit of knowledge can you truly become your very best self.
We are born with this super-tool called the brain. Despite what you may think at times, the ability of our mind for conscious thought and self-awareness is a blessing (hopefully, at least most of the time!). If a tool is not used it becomes rusty and eventually breaks down over time.
Our mind is like a muscle or a tool, that must be continually in use otherwise the effects of atrophy will set in and for lack of a better description, our mind will rot away. Having our mind rot away is a tragic outcome, especially since there are things that we can do to prevent or put off the rot.
Throughout your entire life, keep on learning new, valuable, productive and relevant things. Exercise your mind. The benefits far outweigh any “costs” that are incurred for your time spent with continual learning.
Be A Man – Do The Right Thing. It’s Your Brain. Exercise It Continually And All Of The Time: Always Keep Learning New, Valuable, Relevant and Productive Things.
BAM!!! Be A Man! Do The Right Thing.
Be the DtRTy Guy!