A CLASSIC LEARNING MISTAKE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS
SUCCEEDING AT GOING NOWHERE
“He who does purposeless learning gets nowhere, for the purpose of learning is to enable you to get to where you want to go in life. The purpose is not just to pile up a bunch of information for its own sake, so that one looks good but can go nowhere in life. The purpose of learning is to achieve the purpose of getting better results in life, for the purpose of creating the happiest, most effective, and best experience of life itself!”
The BuddhaKahuna
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RESULTLESS!
We often fail to see that a life of impulses or of piecemeal approaches to learning life will lead us to a fractured life, not holding together well and not one of power or happiness.
When we pile things up and then attack them, even in a reasonable order, and read and try to learn from them, we fall into the pit of going almost nowhere, but with a lot of effort and time consumed!
We think we can learn a piece here and a piece there and somehow be able to retain it, return to our train of thought and have it all hold together in meaning and perspective so we can live it in our lives. But, please, notice that this approach is not working. It does not work. I will not work. It is just plain the wrong way to go, perhaps better than nothing but not better enough, as it is sacrificing all the unused, unexperienced potential of life.
RESULTS!
No, the secret is deep and continuous, connected learning. In this process, we stick with one thing for a long time, without breaks in thinking, without losing our thread of thought, carrying things all the way through to a deeper understanding and a perspective on how things fit together. In this mode, we don't forget that learning has a purpose. And it is not quantitative, but qualitative in the sense that activity is quantitative but if we want quality we are talking about getting actual results that enhance the quality of life.
Actual results come from learning to the point where we have the capability to get a desired result.
In quality learning, we do not go onto the next interesting, high newness learning opportunity. Instead we go back through any related book we read, over and over until we get to the point where we have a plan and set of actions that will work. Then we do them. We install them into our brain and our lives. And we also (which only the highest power people do) set up a mechanical way to recall and reuse and insure we think of what is needed - a regular reminder system, where it either comes up in tickles and reminders or where we review a list in the area and from that list, with its references to pieces we have written in summarizing an area, we can go to those pieces (i.e. the location of the pieces are so clear that we can actually find them). (See Orderganizing For Action. It’s not what you think, as it is one of the highest powered practices of all.)
"But this takes extra time! I need to go learn the next thing, go to the next interesting thing."
Well, if you do, you will stay in elementary school, perhaps even kindergarten. You need to step up to the next level, perhaps middle school. But is that good enough when it comes to learning life? How about high school? Quit there? Be a good reader, reading magazine articles of how to get better, but not really getting much better? College? Quit there? Well, that's pretty good. You want to go at least to that level, where you have re-learned, at an ever rising level, in a concentrated fashion each key subject, from course 101 up to course 201 then course 301. You need to learn those well enough to be a worthy hire for the job of life (so you don't have to fire yourself for incompetence). (Of course, you are the employer, so you wouldn’t want an unskilled person to run your “life company” into emotional bankruptcy.)
STOP WHERE?
But, should you stop there?
Not if extra deep learning makes it even better.
The key point here, though, is to make sure that you concentrate and learn as early as possible all the college level courses in how to run your life, your emotions, and create your happiness, skillfully, rather than being a half educated, half smart, half fool.
The advantage of college or any concentrated learning program is that you are, intensely and continuously and systematically, following a focused path that goes deeper and deeper, but in the fastest most effective way.
If you want to advance in life quickly, then you must do "intensives", where you really pack it in into a short period of time AND complete it, finish it, wrap it up, organize for action now and with a system that assures it being done right in the future.
No, going to a seminar is only what might be called "half-assed" or actually "quarter-assed" learning. You start, you gather lots of information, you have good intent...and it wilts right there. (See "Know Can Do" in Authentic, Effective Learning.)
Nobody should go to a seminar without setting up a couple of days afterward to assure assimilation and implementation.
No, sir, I do not even recommend that you go back through all my brilliant, insightful pieces that you have piled up for "later".
I recommend that you start doing your learning in a systematic program and that you concentrate it into as many long blocks of time, with as many hours as possible.
The best of the best practices for learning is to have bigger blocks of learning, where you at least spend a full day on one subject.
And it is best that you learn what is in “The Life Curriculum”, where these courses will be sufficient to have you operating at a good enough level to live life relatively well in all key areas of life: Health, Sufficient Wealth, Relationships, Discipline, Emotions (includes “spiritual”), Intellect, and Play. Then you can choose, at a less intense pace, to do the The Life Master Curriculum, which carries you as far as you want to go, to full, unconditional happiness and effectiveness in life.
THE COURSES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF LIFE
Here are some of the courses in the "University of Life": (Enter any course title in the search engine and go to the topic. You’ll have to be self-responsible in learning here, as there are a number of reading sequences you need to “see” in the contents/links sections. In other words, the materials have not yet been organized into formal courses as named below, so you need to spot the reading sequences explicitly or implicitly provided.)
Learning How To Best Learn (Prerequisite) - It makes sense to really learn well how to do something that you will do a lot in life! Effective learning is something you should learn before you even start the courses. This includes of course some basic reading techniques to facilitate better learning.
Life Plan 101 - For now, use the simplified format from the book Living Forward, by Hyatt. A complete table of contents of a full blown plan is available on the site, but that is only so that you can see all that you might include in a plan. Meanwhile, just do the core of the Life Plan. This will help you determine what is the priority for what to learn.
Reality 101 (Prerequisite) - One must know reality or one has no clear way to eliminate beliefs that are not aligned with reality and to discern how things actually work in the world and the mind and body. Be sure to read The (Bio) Mechanical Brain/Body - Summary.
Impulses and emotions - Includes how to control one's life once you learn that you, not the impulses and emotions are the orchestrator of life. (The Hoffman type of intensive is very effective since it channels energy and keeps one focused on learning and growing, without distractions. Especially needed for those people who have not yet learned self management and self control.)
Habits And Routines 101, 201, 301 - One day at least, but at least 5 full days, which can be nonconsecutive, are recommended. Chief goal is to make life much easier while also increasing what one can do of value in life. (Habits are merely “automatic, effortless” systems, whereas routines are systems which also ease and direct one’s efforts with less effort and which also free up higher brain power for what is most important!)
101 includes: The basic time management system that actually works - Can take a full three days to really settle on one and to get it working, but the payoff is enormous in terms of hours of life saved and a huge amount of extra value being created in one's life. If one does not on purpose allocate one’s time to where it is of the most valuable to one, one is blowing off a good portion of one’s life, into oblivion instead of value.
201 is about using the principles of productivity fully AND using systems to make things work better to create greater value with less effort/time.
301 is about “super-leveraging” your time and your effectiveness be at least 10 times (10x).
Critical Thinking And Finding Superior Solutions 101, 201, 301 - Without the use of this you will be unable to differentiate as to what is true or not or as to what will work or not!
Problem Solving And Decision Making 101, 201, 301 - Through all life we will have gaps to close between where we are and where we want to be (aka problems). And we have to decide what are the good choices and then which is then the best choice. Choice, as “they” say, is the greatest power of man.
Life Philosophy And Perspective 101, 201, 301 - Each requires at least a full day, but I recommend two.
This includes how to look at life and how to exist in it, including the necessary pieces of being “full in charge” of one’s life, living at a level of 100% responsibility for life, learning to give up the childhood perspective and beliefs. Also installs an “I’m safe in life” thinking foundation.
Happiness 101, 201, 301 - While many of the other pieces will lead to greater happiness, this actually focuses on how to increase it systematically to take it to the next level of potential in life.
Creating The Greatest Life 101 - A special compilation to help one build a life. It has a path of reading sequences, including The Life Improvement Course. Although it includes a detailed listing of pieces to read and it can be done in bits and pieces, it is still best to set aside full reading days where you take notes and set up tickles and plans for what to do, instead of hurrying forward to finish the course (without actually doing “finishing”!).
There are two basic approaches to doing your curriculum (but never skip the basic how to learn prerequisite course, including implementing it into your life!).
Across the board mode: If you are in emergency mode, where you need to immediately shore up your life, you would do the 101's in each area, so you get enough competency to qualify to be hired to run your life at the minimum, perhaps at a lower wage but at least you won't starve to death.
Go deeper and “completer” mode: Of course, if you free up enough days, you can take 101, then 201, then 301 consecutively without going to another subject, so that you "finish" up the area and are really good at it.
Do not take "college orientation" as a course and then assume that it is anywhere close to the depth of learning you need to do. That week is mostly a "survey" of courses, where you get some familiarity and can do a few things. It is a starter course, a summary, a perspective, and perhaps a "selling the idea of true learning" spiel.
WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH THIS?
Clear away as many noncritical duties, activities, and tasks as possible.
Schedule full days for each week (no, I'm not kidding… and it is very doable, if someone is truly committed), using the list of "courses" (subjects) you will work on in your chosen priority order until sufficiently mastered for your purposes. (This means that if you put in a full day and didn't finish, then you'll need to use the next available full day to finish if possible. Don't move on to the next one until you are at sufficiency in competence and having a system in place for each area!)
At an average of one full day (two half days are good, but not as good as one continuous day) a week, you will transform pieces of your life marvelously each month and incredibly hugely over one year!
And after you see the results, you’ll want to continue to add more. At that time, you’ll be in peace of mind mode and just enjoy learning (and completing) more of life.
May you grow to be a master of life and to experience the full potential of happiness and fulfillment of life!
