Studying anything new can be frustrating at times, especially for adults. We think we should be capable of understanding new ideas quickly, that age and experience should automatically make us more proficient than the younger crowd. Thinking this way sets us up for failure. Being willing to be a beginner at everything keeps us young.
When you get frustrated with your studies:
- Get up from your desk and take a break.
- Breathe deeply and calmly.
- With every exhale, relax your shoulders and every other tense muscle you can identify.
- Picture in your mind’s eye your favorite toddler passionately and tirelessly figuring out, step by step, how to stand up and walk.
- Smile.
- Take that child back to your desk with you and look at your studies with new eyes.
- How can you take the information apart and learn it one step at a time?
This seems like a simple exercise, and it is, but it’s also very effective. Try it. Going back to the beginning, making sure your foundation in the subject is strong, can make all subsequent learning more logical.
Sometimes, the youngest among us can be the most inspiring.
Japanese proverb: Fall down seven times. Stand up eight.
