7 and 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners

I just finished listening to the 7 & 1/2 Habits recording. Before I forget, I thought I'd jot down which of the habits is easiest for me and which is hardest.

The hardest habit by far is 7 1/2 -- Play!

Finding time to explore and learn about new things is almost impossible to come by. I will say, however, it helps to have colleagues who share what they are learning with me. This way, I can piggyback on their learning!

The easiest habit for me is 4. I don't think "easy" is exactly the right word for this habit, but over the years I do believe I have developed confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner.

I always did well in school, but that felt like an automatic thing that I wasn't aware of having control over. There were the subjects I was good at and pursued (English and music), and the subjects that I struggled with and went out of my way to avoid even though I got good grades in them (math and science).

Today, I feel much more confident of my ability to learn whatever I decide I want or need to know. What's changed? Not much, except perhaps attitude and experience.

One event that contributed to my increased confidence and sense of control over my own learning, was taking the GRE a second time, 5+ years after taking it the first time.

First time around I don't think I studied much; I mainly relied on the fact that I'd been a non-stop student during the preceding 17 years of my life. Second time around I was a bit more nervous, particularly about the math section since it had been years since my last math class.

I studied hard, and wound up increasing my math score by 25 percentage points. This probably didn't have any effect on my ability to get into library school, but it did have a major impact on my view of myself as someone who can learn. And this confidence manifests itself in a variety of ways--both large and small--in my life today.

I think it's why I was able to teach myself how to knit, mostly out of a book.

It's why I am willing and eager to read books on topics I know nothing about -- something I never would have done when I was younger.

And I think it helps me as a parent, since I feel like I can investigate whatever topics I need to in order to advocate for my son's needs (e.g., learning about food allergies; figuring out whether to send him to kindergarten two weeks after he turned five, vs. waiting a year; getting him glasses to help him read).