{"id":151,"date":"2007-07-09T05:30:50","date_gmt":"2007-07-09T09:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/"},"modified":"2013-08-14T14:14:36","modified_gmt":"2013-08-14T22:14:36","slug":"10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Ways to Enrich Your Life by Learning Something New"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

\u201cWhen I learn something new – and it happens every day – I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.\u201d – Bill Moyers<\/p>\n

We often get so entrenched in our daily routines that we forget to learn on a daily basis. Lifehacks, GTD, family, work, and social networking are all great ways to grow and enjoy life. They provide new experience and insight while offering endless opportunites for daily learning.<\/p>\n

But learning is best when it’s gained through concerted effort. Here are ten simple ways you can learn something new every day.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
    \n
  1. Ask.<\/strong> Did you ever stop to consider why children are like little knowledge sponges? They don\u2019t allow pride to prevent them from asking questions. More than anything, asking questions is the number one way to learn more every day. And while I\u2019m guilty of letting pride stand in my way when an opportunity to verbally ask a question presents itself, I often circle the wagons by searching for and reading about my question on the internet. Then I can follow up with someone who is more knowledgeable on the subject and talk intelligently – which is often better than a one-sided lecture on a topic.<\/li>\n
  2. Read.<\/strong> Every day. If you have dead time, you have time to read. With the wealth of knowledge available online, there\u2019s never an excuse not to read. If a question comes to mind and you can\u2019t find an answer immediately, write it down for future investigation – this is a great way to build a reading list. If a question was powerful enough to make its way into your thoughts, it\u2019s likely the answer will be powerful enough to stick around too – so it\u2019ll be there when you need it.<\/li>\n
  3. Search.<\/strong> Chase down answers to your most basic questions. Want to know what it means for coffee to taste \u201cearthy?\u201d Spend the next several cups of coffee exploring different flavors and aromas. Ask the barista what tastes you should be looking for in your next cup. No question is so small that it doesn\u2019t have an answer worthy of you.<\/li>\n
  4. Slow Down.<\/strong> Stop running so fast. If you jump straight from the bed to the shower to the car to the office, you\u2019re moving too fast to uncover the questions that life presents – much less their answers. Want proof? Experiment by riding your bike or walking to work one day next week. I promise you\u2019ll notice things you\u2019ve never seen before.<\/li>\n
  5. Listen.<\/strong> I mean really listen – to a lecture, a spouse, a parent, or even the lyrics of a song. Active listening promotes learning every single time we practice it. Great public speakers are great because they listen to the feedback (audible and otherwise) that they get from the audience and they respond to it accordingly. Active listening to music or nature will not only slow you down, it will teach you something new about the sights and sounds we often take for granted.<\/li>\n
  6. Meditate \/ Reflect.<\/strong> It\u2019s like saying \u201cslow waaaay down.\u201d Believe it or not, some things can’t be learned from the internet – or even the rest of the world. Some answers can only come from the inside out. Taking time to be still and pray\/meditate\/reflect is one of the best gifts you can give yourself – and it will make you a better learner.<\/li>\n
  7. Look.<\/strong> Also similar to slowing down, but quite different at the same time. Look at things from different perspectives (and I mean that literally). If you\u2019re accustomed to seeing something close up, look at it from far away. When was the last time you used a microscope or a telescope? Do you remember when you last looked through a pair of binoculars . . . backwards? Look around and find something fun to examine.<\/li>\n
  8. Taste.<\/strong> One of the most enjoyable ways to learn new things is by taste. It can be as simple sampling a new type of coffee or espresso. Some of the most fun I\u2019ve ever had has been trying new food with a group of friends. Taste and texture generate long lasting memories. Describing them can be a very challenging exercise.<\/li>\n
  9. Touch.<\/strong> One of the most inspirational minds of modern times relied almost 100{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} on touch to learn about the world in which she lived. Helen Keller knew more about living a fulfilling life than most of us could ever imagine. Follow her lead and spend a few moments a day just noticing the temperature and texture of the things that surround you.<\/li>\n
  10. Smell.<\/strong> Memories of smells are long-lasting due to the close proximity between memory centers in the brain and the terminus of olfactory neurons. Spending a few moments smelling new things can result in memories that last a lifetime.<\/li>\n
  11. Bonus Tip: Write.<\/strong>Similar to a gratitude journal, a knowledge journal is an attempt to take the ordinary events of a day and extract the most valuable learning experiences from them. Keep a notebook or journal documenting daydreams, thought experiements, and stressful times and you’ll automatically solidify the knowledge you gained from each.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    About the Author:<\/strong> Ryan Stewart is a web geek, non-profit junkie, and future medical student living in east Tennessee with his wife and two chihuahuas, Pedro & Gabby. He writes about lifelong learning as a means of practicing it – see bonus tip eleven. PermaStudent.com<\/a> is his home on the web.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    We often get so entrenched in our daily routines that we forget to learn on a daily basis. Lifehacks, GTD, family, work, and social networking are all great ways to grow and enjoy life. They provide new experience and insight while offering endless opportunites for daily learning. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[7],"tags":[2412,94,4629],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Learn Something New<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cWhen I learn something new - and it happens every day - I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.\u201d - Bill Moyers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Learn Something New\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cWhen I learn something new - and it happens every day - I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.\u201d - Bill Moyers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-07-09T09:30:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-08-14T22:14:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ptb-fb-profpic2-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/\",\"name\":\"How to Learn Something New\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2007-07-09T09:30:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-08-14T22:14:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"\u201cWhen I learn something new - and it happens every day - I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.\u201d - Bill Moyers\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"10 Ways to Enrich Your Life by Learning Something New\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\",\"name\":\"Erin Falconer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Falconer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Learn Something New","description":"\u201cWhen I learn something new - and it happens every day - I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.\u201d - Bill Moyers","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Learn Something New","og_description":"\u201cWhen I learn something new - and it happens every day - I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.\u201d - Bill Moyers","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2007-07-09T09:30:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-08-14T22:14:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ptb-fb-profpic2-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Falconer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/","name":"How to Learn Something New","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2007-07-09T09:30:50+00:00","dateModified":"2013-08-14T22:14:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5"},"description":"\u201cWhen I learn something new - and it happens every day - I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.\u201d - Bill Moyers","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/10-ways-to-enrich-your-life-by-learning-something-new\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"10 Ways to Enrich Your Life by Learning Something New"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5","name":"Erin Falconer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Falconer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}