We learn. We live.

How my sabbatical is giving me the chance to learn again

Photo by stockcake.com

Our whole life is a learning process. Our first years are all about learning the basics to survive as a human being. Then we learn about our world and how to live in it. When we are ready, we start formal education. Next thing we know, we are full-fledged adults, learning how to live life by doing and, if we’re lucky enough, we continue learning on the job. Year after year. The point is: whatever we do and at all stages of our life, we learn, in different ways.

As I left the cocoon of corporate life and started my sabbatical, I craved having time to finally tackle my personal to-dos that had long sunk to the bottom of the list as I prioritised what used to be my life’s routine. I also cherished swapping futile meetings with purposeful encounters, meaningful discussions and conversations that exposed me to new ideas and ways of thinking – all this just by the very nature of living a different reality and putting myself in a different context. I was excited by this prospect. I was also curious to see how my 50 year old brain would cope with the potential abundance of information this new reality would throw at me as - let’s face it - I know I’m not as sharp and fast in my thinking as I used to be.

Nine weeks into the journey, the experience has surpassed my expectations. I am astonished at how, in the most subtle and imperceptible of ways, my brain has opened up and is absorbing information as it hasn’t done for years. As the researcher I am – curious about everything, as a friend recently wrote to me -, I was intrigued by what was happening, what was driving this silent revolution. Having more time available was undoubtedly a huge part of this, but I was sure that was not the full story.

I have always loved reading. Anything. Books, newspapers, magazines, newsletters, online posts, you name it. However, long working hours, keeping reasonably fit, having some kind of social life and running a household always came first. Reading was reduced to rigid time slots in my agenda. So when my sabbatical started I felt free. Free to read at any time, whenever I felt like it, whatever fell into my hands, for as long as I wanted. My mind also felt free to roam, to explore, to experience. All of those forgotten newsletters, saved articles and piles of paper notes started to become more visible and I slowly started making my way through them. My sense of wonder was unleashed and I started learning more… I even gave myself permission to click on links, read sources, enter into rabbit holes that would take me even deeper, simply letting curiosity be my guide through the burrows of knowledge.

That elusive reason why my learning experience had changed so radically became clear to me: the sabbatical gave me time, but it also gave me space. Headspace. For years I had mistakenly led myself to believe that once the day at the office had finished, I was leaving work behind but I now see that wasn’t true. My mind clearly kept thinking – consciously and unconsciously - about the projects, the people, office politics, what had happened, what was coming... My headspace was always full.

Slowly but surely, as the weeks go by, a transformation is taking place: those old thoughts that constantly lingered in my head are drifting away and the space is being filled with new things that I come across: facts, ideas, new concepts, others’ perspective. I am eager to get involved in discussions to learn even more, slowly moving from being a passive reader to shyly engaging in conversations with authors, asking questions (to others and to myself) and for the first time, I am putting my own articles out to the world. The floodgates of creativity have also been thrown widely open. I am spending more time writing, I am enjoying listening to and learning more about music and I am giving myself permission to just think outside the box I spent a quarter of a century in.

Another surprising discovery: it feels more things are now “sticking”, I seem to be learning better. Maybe the brain truly does work like a sponge after all and by squeezing out of all those thoughts that were occupying my mind, now my brain has more space to better absorb new things. I feel the focus on what I read or listen to has grown exponentially and as a result, the payoff of the time spent learning is much higher. I even decided to start learning new things -such as reading music-, which I am thoroughly enjoying. And having always been interested in history and never being able to remember dates and exact facts, those are now starting to stay in my brain. It’s such a great feeling!

For years I thought I had reached the pinnacle of my capacity to learn many years ago and an ageing brain would make the learning process as an adult much more difficult. There is probably some truth in that, but now, thanks to my sabbatical, I discovered I wasn’t seeing the whole picture: time and headspace are the best weapons to use to continue fuelling my curiosity in my quest for knowledge.

I have rediscovered the joy of learning. I feel alive.