When Does Real Learning Happen?

Learning, the real learning, happens…

• When you are intentional about learning
• When you are driven by an intrinsic need to advance and not only by external triggers and rewards.
• When you ask more questions to get to the WHY of things (and then to what and how)
• When you carry an open frame of mind that is receptive
• When you look for process and patterns even in discrete situations
• And when you use your understanding to connect the dots and look at a larger picture
• When you enjoy the process of learning without getting too anxious about the results and goals.
• When you are self-aware (of your own beliefs, thoughts, values and perceptions)
• When you experience, execute, iterate and test your hypothesis
• When you reflect deeply on your experiences
• And when you share your lessons (and process) with others generously so that they can learn (and also contribute)
• When you surround yourself with passionate learners, mentors and coaches (and be a part of a learning community)
• And engage others (community) meaningfully in collaborative problem solving
• When you are able to collect, synthesize and process information from varied sources
• When you solve interesting problems
• And be able to create a map on the go (rather than relying on tried and tested methods)
• When you overcome the fear of making mistakes
• When you think critically
• When you execute in short bursts, fail small and realign your approaches
• When you Unlearn (let go of the old ways of thinking and doing)
• When you apply lessons in line with unique needs of the context
• When you synthesize your lessons and apply meta-lessons in across disciplines
• When you are generous enough to share what you know, teach, coach and mentor others
• When you are comfortable with inherently ambiguous nature of learning (and ability to hold two contrasting thoughts without being judgmental)
• When you are comfortable also with the emergent nature of learning
• When you don’t allow your learning to crystallize but keep it fluid and evolving.
• When you truly start believing that self-directed and self-initiated learning is the best way to learn (for a lifetime).