Life of Sonder – a Life of Learning
The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.
Learning Never Ends
One of the first aspects of living a Life of Sonder is recognizing that learning never ends.
In today’s world, we have everything at our fingertips and so we are never bored, and we never have to work very hard or exercise creativity for the basic needs of life.
If we are hungry, there’s a grocery store down the street. If we are cold simply turn on the fireplace. And you can forget about ever being bored because there’s a phone in our pocket to browse.
These are all amazing advances of the modern world, but instead of taking advantage of these to further our minds and capacities, we’ve become stagnant.
Why?
We graduate from college and never seek out further education. We come home from work and spend our evenings watching TV or scrolling through social media.
And our children are subjected to compulsory learning with little opportunity to pursue their unique interests and talents. Most kids drop out of high school/college, or pursue degrees in fields that they never end up working in.
Sometimes I wonder what all previous generations would say to ours when they worked SO HARD to build a better world for us and here we are wasting this WEALTH of information on mindless entertainment and compulsory learning.
Take a moment to really think about that. Think how HARD people in history had to work in order to learn anything, let alone even have the right to learn.
Now we hardly have to work hard for it at all because it’s all right there on our phones and computers….but what are we doing with it?
When we don’t have to work for something, we don’t appreciate it and so it sits…wasted.
Can you imagine what some of the greatest minds in history would have given in order to have information at their fingertips the way we do?
“Can you imagine what some of the greatest minds in history would have given in order to have information at their fingertips…”
This complacent approach to life has led to a society in which many individuals don’t have a clear sense of their own unlimited potential. There is an overwhelming lack of self-worth and self-confidence but we are blind to it because things like video games and phones provide temporary relief from it all (all the while simply taking us further away from our goals..but that’s a whole other conversation).
It has stifled our creativity and forced us into a cookie-cutter mold of education that doesn’t allow for individuality. Without so called “forced” boredom (i.e. a lack of the constant input) we have lost the spark of inspiration.
We’ve failed to instill in ourselves and our children a thirst for knowledge, a hunger to learn, and a naturally curious mind (something I would argue that we are innately born with).
What’s even worse, is we have failed to instill in ourselves and our children an understanding that anything is possible.
“The only thing holding us back from success in any area of life is our own minds.”
Life has become a series of tasks we check off of an imaginary list. We have lost the thrill of exploration and discovery to a “sit there and do nothing” mentality.
It is easy to be mindlessly entertained — and often it provides an escape from life — and the natural instincts inside each of us would prefer to pick the easier path in everything we do.
We don’t want to deal with our problems, and we don’t want to do the work necessary to change our habits.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
What we don’t realize is that once we taste of the thrill of discovery, it is a power like no other! Our habits will naturally change because we are full of a new wonder and amazement about what is available to us.
“Once we taste of the thrill of discovery, it is a power like no other.”
But first, we have to step out of our comfort zone.
We have to recognize the cycle can be broken and CHOOSE to break it.
It means intentionally seeking out opportunities for growth and learning.
It means providing yourself and your loved ones with opportunities to pursue unique interests and talents and finding new ones along the way too.
A life of sonder is recognizing that the world is full of wonders to be discovered and that “the more you know, the more you’ll find you don’t know.”
How do we begin?
So how do you begin. Many who might be reading this post already have followed that path and already have a innate desire to learn and to grow! GREAT!
For those still struggling with that initial desire, start by taking a step back and recognizing just how much you do not know. Let that sense of SONDER fill your mind … pause to notice how big the world is, how much knowledge is available to you right now.
Meditate with that until you feel a desire to do something about it. And you will – stick with it even if it takes some effort (a few days, a week, maybe even a month of reaching for it).
Then start, make a list of all that interests you. We grew up in a society where we didn’t really have freedom to learn. You have to unlearn everything you’ve already learned and start by simply picking what you’re interested in. It can be anything. It could be birds, it could be heart surgery, it could be dance or art or history or all of the above. The world is an open book, just turn on your brain and start making your list (use our software to help)!
Choosing to spend your time learning or trying something new will leave you with a far greater sense of self and accomplishment than any mindless activity.
It will expand your mind, your capacities, and instill in you a thirst for more. Once you find what interests you and actively seek it out, you will begin to be bored by the usual television shows.
You will find yourself feeling like time is wasted when it’s spent mindlessly entertained. You will find passion and meaning! You will start to have ideas, creativity, purpose, desire, and so much more.
“Choosing to spend your time learning will leave you with a far greater sense of self + accomplishment than any mindless activity.”
START NOW! Commit right now to a lifetime of discovery and find the joy of learning new things.
Join our Sonder Seekers community to connect with individuals and families who are on their own journey to knowledge! Here’s a sneak peek of whats to come:
- Goal setting & habit tracking
- Learning Lists – let’s narrow down what’s important to you
- Help for setting up systems that work for YOU.
- Strategies for becoming an lifelong student.
- Ideas for sparking curiosity in yourself and your kids
- Monthly Book clubs
- Community of likeminded people to collaborate & learn with
- & so much more!
If this sounds like the place for you, sign up now! You belong here!