Learning = Laughing.
My Spanish teacher, Ivonne, in Todos Santos is pictured with me below. She aptly has a little peace sign sprouting out of her head. My first half-dozen classes were brutal. I felt so stupid on my drive home, constantly replaying that overused tape in my head, “You’re too old to be doing this!”
Then, I watched this TED video and came to realize that we take ourselves way too seriously as adults. The fastest way to metabolize something new—whether it’s learning a language, trying to stand up on a surfboard, or joining a different industry—is to have fun with it. And you can’t have fun when you’re constantly worrying about how you’re measuring up. This is essential 21st century wisdom as our most important midlife skill in a constantly changing world is learning how to learn again.
As soon as I realized Ivonne could become my friend, and we could laugh and talk about what felt like taboo subjects, from midlife dating to our dreams and aspirations to our opinions of los presidentes of our countries, was the moment learning felt less like walking on a balance beam and more like climbing on a jungle gym.
Not surprisingly, my Spanish improved.
What’s something new you could try with less seriousness and a lighter heart?
