How often have you read, heard, and talked about the value of lifelong learning? Learning throughout our adult years is how we stay engaged and continue to grow right until we take our final breath. We know from neuroscience research that the brain continues to change based on what we pay attention to and practice.
But not all learning is created equal.
When we engage in learning because we’re scared of what happens if we don’t, or to protect the identity we’ve developed of being smart, successful, etc, we have limited the deeper potential of growth. In other words, when our learning goals come from a mindset of what’s missing, or what’s wrong, we narrow the scope of possibility.
The term ‘lifelong yearning’ popped into my head ages ago and it’s continued to rattle around ever since. Yearning is such a raw and powerful word. I think about yearning as a deep longing or desire that lives within all of us; it has an energetic quality that runs deeper than ideas or concepts.
What does the word mean to you?
What is the relationship between yearning and purpose?
What does our yearning say about who we are?
How does yearning impact what we want to learn?
Lifelong learning expands the human experience no matter who we are or what we do, but it’s so much more powerful when it’s driven by a deep yearning for greater purpose, depth, and meaning.
Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash
Tamar partners with leaders and teams committed to growing their leadership capacity and impact. She has extensive experience with clients from the private, non-profit, and public sectors, and has worked with clients from a variety of industries including healthcare, education, finance, communications, marketing/sales, and media. Read more about Tamar