I have to physically go through the motions to really learn something.
Don’t tell me what the apple tv password is. I will forget it. Don’t try and explain to me how to re set the Wifi and expect me to remember the next time it acts up. I will text you asking again..
If you want me to learn how to do something, I have to do it for myself; and not just once but multiple times until it becomes automatic.
I know this.
I am a Physical Therapist.
I am wired to move and I use this principle every day with my clients.
I can spend 30 minutes helping facilitate movement in a child , but if I don’t engage him or her , they will go home and keep doing the same ole thing, never implementing the new skill.
I can let the mother sit out in the lobby and come tell her what we did that day and what to work on with them at home, but she will forget.
I can have her join me in the session and observe from across the room and she might remember, but when she goes to try it herself , she will probably get frustrated and come back and tell me her child just won’t do it for her; that she doesn’t have the ‘touch’ that I do.
BUT, if I invite her to get down on the floor with me, and I back away , giving HER the chance to DO IT with her child; put her own hands on them, and go through the steps …
She just might learn something.
And when they go home they just might do it again.
And again.
And again.
The result?
The child may actually learn the new skill or at least make progress toward it. And the mother might just gain confidence in her ability to help her child.
‘Motor Learning’ is a powerful thing..
If you are a teacher , a facilitator , or a parent you know this truth.
Involvement is vital for learning and growing.
I love this quote ♥
So why, when it comes to us, do we tend to forget this concept?
I do tell my husband to get out of my way and let me sit behind the computer with my fingers on the keys when he is trying to teach me some techy thing that I am struggling with. ( politely of course )
I do take notes in church so I am at least using a motor pathway to take in what I am learning.
But most of the time I just want to listen and be able to immediately apply what I am ‘learning.’ Or maybe a better word is ‘hearing.’
I will listen to a brilliant podcast packed with so many good take always… and I try to ‘take them away,’ but before I can apply the speaker’s wisdom I forget what it was that they said..
Have you ever slid the progress bar back on your iphone over and over to try to back up and catch it again? “Oh that was so good. I have to hear that again!”
It helps for me to hear it again, but if I stop and open my notes app and type it in , it sticks a little better. Just a little longer.
But if I could sit down next to them and allow them to guide me for a period of time , man that would be awesome! Then I could really learn how to apply it.
So why don’t I ask?
The obvious answer is “Duh.. I am a minion and they do not have time for me. ”
But even when they offer to help, have a course that will guide me, or provide resources I can take advantage of, I don’t do it.
Maybe it’s my independent streak. I am a self learner.
Maybe it’s pride.
Maybe it’s fear of asking for help.
Maybe it’s that I just don’t want to make the investment in myself to actually learn a new skill or admit my need to be taught.
But there are some areas I am desperate to have a teacher for.
Some body please come manage this website and do the social media , and fix this SLOW computer!
I would love to have an editor.
I would die to have a life coach. A writing coach. A business coach. A personal trainer or a wellness coach.
I know I need a guide.
I am tired of fumbling my way through things.
We CAN learn by ourselves and WE DO LEARN BEST by walking through the process ourselves, but that process is more efficient when we follow a guide.
I can go to YOU TUBE or google ,” How to embed an audio file in email.” I can follow their step by step instructions, and if I don’t give up in frustration , I can eventually learn it. It’s definitely more effective than fumbling without the tutorial. ( did I tell you that a 12 yr old boy from India helped with this wordpress site?)
That is the PROCESS. Fumbling. Trial and error.
It’s not as quick as we would like, but we forget that just like that child and that mother, we LEARN as we PRACTICE; as we involve ourselves in the process.
It takes a lot of miss steps and stumbles for a toddler to learn to walk with confidence.
We have to try and try again if we want to make forward progress.
To walk in confidence requires us to take steps when we are still unsure.
We don’t learn by watching. We learn by doing it.
But an even better way to learn is under the guidance of someone who has already learned it; An expert or at least someone just a little farther along than us.
Scripture shouts this concept.
Jesus modeled it.
The first thing he did when he started his ministry was to gather 12 men and begin training them. He didn’t just talk to them. He didn’t just teach them. He INVOLVED them.
They walked with him. They took the basket and passed it around.
Did they learn it overnight?
Heck no.
They stumbled and fell all over themselves.
But when it was THEIR TIME to carry the message, they had LEARNED what they needed to KNOW to pass it on.
They went from weak men , lacking faith, to men of courage that stood strong in the face of persecution.
Why?
Because they had WALKED with Jesus.
They had LIVED with him.
They hadn’t just heard it; they experienced it.
Proverbs 9:9 says
“Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.”
This may be straying a little, but stay with me here..
We can sit and listen to a million podcasts, read a thousand books, sit under hundreds of sermons, but if we want to truly LEARN we need to become a student.
We need to dive into the classroom of life with humble hearts that admit our need for guidance.
We have to go through the training process.
This starts with our surrender to God.; admitting we do not have all the answers; opening our hands and asking Him to teach us , train us, and grow us.
But don’t stop there.
Follow the model of Christ.
Gather with a group of like minded people who are following hard after him and working on applying his principles to their lives. Find a few who are a couple steps ahead of you and WALK with them. Do Life with them.
Proverbs 1:5 says ..
“A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.“
So I guess scripture does say we learn by hearing.. “How can the hearer learn without someone to tell him?”
Hearing is the first step.
We have to know what we need first.
But once we know… WE NEED TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP.
We need to acquire wise counsel.
A counselor doesn’t just talk to you.
They listen.
They guide.
They help you implement what you are hearing.
Finally ..
“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, PRACTICE these things, and the God of peace will be with you. ”
Philippians 4:9
So here is your therapeutic activity or PRACTICE for the week:
What is it that you want to learn?
Maybe it’s..
- how to take better pictures with your iPhone
- how to manage your finances better
- how to speak in public without sweating
- how to discover your passions
- how to overcome a thought pattern that you know is hindering you
- how to set specific goals and be more productive
- how to find a movement routine that works for you
- how to kick perfectionism to the curb
- how to choose faith over fear as a daily practice
Choose 1 thing..
Then be intentional about going through the motions and committing to the training.
Don’t expect to just read about it and master it. Remember it is a PROCESS and we learn as we stumble and keep getting back up and trying again.
But don’t keep stumbling alone..
Find someone else who is already doing it and ask if you can walk along side them. See how you can get involved and experience it first hand.
Don’t know where to find someone? Try heading over to http://fb.me/shewalksinwellness and get INVOLVED in a community of women who are passionate about taking next steps and walking in wellness. Put an ASK out and see if anyone is a few steps ahead of you in what you want to learn!
It’s time to DO LIFE TOGETHER!
I would also LOVE to know these 2 things:
How do YOU learn best?
What do you want to learn?
Share in the comments or at http://fb.me/shewalksinwellness