I have a theory. I believe that part of the reason adults are so miserable is that they have stopped learning. 

There is something special about being a kid. The awe of new things, wonder and learning - I’d argue it’s what makes being a kid so special. It’s why young people are so happy and engaged and have desires to do new things.

As we get older - we lose that. We have to meet the expectations of others. We have to present ourselves in certain ways to meet the needs of the Joneses and impress other people. We evolve from learning internally to showing externally. And that sucks.

A client recently told me that his favorite part about coaching is that it helped him realize that “he likes learning.” I thought that was pretty wise and well said. After all, we never think about what we are learning day to day. And the reason for that is because we have our routines.

When we get stuck - and by stuck I can mean any kind of rut - I tend to blame it on routine. 

Routine takes away learning. It’s the same thing over and over again. That may comfort people from time to time, but it doesn’t quite help us grow. 

The fun thing to note is that learning can take many forms. It’s not just learning a new language or a new skill - it could mean learning about yourself. What could be cooler or more important than that? I mean, come on … it’s you. 

I give an example on the podcast about running. Everyone tries to run and almost everyone quits running. Because it’s miserable. But the reason people find it miserable is that nobody takes the time to “learn” how to run. They just go out and try to crush a distance and focus on how miserable they feel doing it. 

Once I learned to run, it changed my whole perspective on it. Now I use running to help me think or de-stress - and I try to go every day. 

We can identify the desire to try something new or to make a change. People do it all the time. If one more person tells me that they want to write a book, I may jump off a bridge. But I know they won’t, because they haven’t learned to write. And that takes practice. Once people learn how to do something, in their way, then they can learn how to love it. 

I talk about inner dialogue often, and the power of choice. There is an endless possibility of everything in the world because there is an endless possibility of learning - not just books, but about yourself as well. Your values, your motivations. Why you say things you do, and why you are responding to things like you do. Examining and peeling back the onion on what gets you going is a learning journey in and of itself.

So with that, I would encourage you to get out and learn something. Maybe learn about why you flipped off that guy in traffic. Maybe learn about why grapefruits are called grapefruits (it’s because they grow like grapes on trees). I can’t think of a better way to spend your time … 

Enjoy!