Lifelong Learner

Developing a love for learning took me a very long time. When I say a very long time – 28 years to be exact. When I was nine we moved to the United States and my focus was on learning a new language and adapting to a new culture. As time went on though, I never developed a true desire to read. I’d rather watch Disney Channel than read a book. When cell phones came out and then Facebook, all I did was spend my time socializing and on social media.

I’m not sure what the changing point was on my learning experience. Did I all of a sudden become an introvert who likes to sit at home and read books rather than socialize with others?

I mean, if you knew me in high school you’d know that 99% of my time was spent socializing. I looked for all the activities and clubs I could join, every opportunity that would get me out of school and of the house – I was in!

The biggest transition in my life came as I became a mother to Mabel, a calling I had so greatly desired for many years. Those first few months were filled with so much joy. I had quit my job and officially became a “stay at home mom.”

As time went on I noticed that I was spending more and more time on my phone. Scrolling through Instagram, searching for random people or tags, watching pointless short videos that really brought nothing to my life. I started feeling a little restless, not sure what to do with all my free time. I cleaned the house, folded laundry, made dinner, played with Mabel but with the time I had free I was… bored.

That’s when Well Educated Heart came in to my life. I watched the “Catch the Vision” course in about 4 days. I absorbed everything Marlene had put out. I started listening to her podcasts, learning so much history, buying old old books through Abe Books and started reading historical material. I learned of WWII, Winston Churchill, India, and started falling in love with poetry, art and music.

Little by little something grew in me – a desire.

A desire to learn, to absorb as much as I could. I had so much joy throughout the day. I felt so fulfilled as my screen time was dramatically reduced.

My love for learning developed through Well Educated Heart and that’s when I decided to continue my professional studies and fulfill a lifelong dream of mine – to become a therapist.

The funny thing about learning is that when you are studying something you love learning becomes easy and pleasurable. Psychology was so interesting to me that reading books, writing papers and being involved in discussions with classmates became a leisure activity for me.

What I quickly learned is that becoming a lifelong learner begins with falling in love with stories of the past, stories that ignite our imagination and burn a fire in us. Eventually those stories burn a desire for us to create our own stories – to build a life that we dream of, to create a life that enhances our learning, expands our minds and most importantly fulfills the greatest desires of our hearts and lead us to ultimate joy.

I hope that you will be inspired to create YOUR story – to become a lifelong learner of the good and the beautiful.