Today I want to talk about Love of Learning, one of Seligman and Peterson’s 24 character strengths every one has, making up the best of our personality and having a positive impact on our life. On the website of the Via Institute, you can do a free survey which will rank your 24 character strengths. Our top five strengths will lead us to be successful and help us overcome transitions in our life, such as career change and having to adjust to a new environment. Cultivating our strengths will make us stronger and happier.
According to the Via Institute, Love of learning means a passion for learning, a desire to learn just for learning’s sake. While curiosity is the motivating force that leads you to seek out new information, love of learning refers to the desire to hold on to and deepen that information. Love of learning describes the way in which a person engages new information and skills.
I want to link Love of Learning to Hudson’s concepts of change. According to Hudson, an American philosopher, writer, professor and coach at Columbia University in NY, change is constant and there is no ideal end situation to reach as life changes continuously. Life is now! When coaching people to adjust to change, Hudson’s concepts are essential as they help people understand change and become more resilient. One of the key concepts he underlines is that whatever age we have, we are capable and we must continue to learn. We are students forever! So Love of Learning is one of the keys to be able to welcome change!
We are all forced to implement change. We have to adjust to small changes on a regular basis such as downloading a new app to be able to pay an invoice or participate in an event. Or these days in France where I live, having to adjust to a situation where there is no fuel available anymore in gas stations creating problems for public and private transport.
One day, we also might have to face bigger changes such as an empty nest, change in our relationships, career change, moving to a new place and culture. The better we learn, the faster we will be able to adjust to these changes. When we have the strength of Love of Learning, we will be better placed to implement the necessary change.
So how can we practice Love of learning?
Pick one of your talents or passions and nurture them. Set a goal: what do you want to reach with this talent? What is your dream? Now deepen your theoretical knowledge and try to practice as much as necessary to reach your goal. It’s only by practicing your talent and deepening your knowledge that your talent will become a core skill you can use in your professional and personal life.
Try to read and/or listen every day: books, journals, newspapers, podcasts, documentaries, etc. Just explore your interests.
Pick a subject in which you want to become an expert and read everything about it.
Get out of your comfort zone and learn something new. Take a class just for fun.
Go explore your local area, surroundings and people and be curious about everything. Focus on small things.
When learning, ask for feedback and listen to the feedback, have an open mind.
As for me, one of my passions is knitting, especially in winter, so I have stocked up on beautiful wool and will learn to knit a couple of new scarves with several colours at once using a manual. Once they are finished, I will enjoy giving them to people I love.
How will you practice your love of learning? You are welcome to share in comments.
Thank you for reading my blog!🙏