7.5 Habits of Lifelong Learners (Thing #2)

Three weeks in and I'm already behind! The first post is supposed to be about the "71/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners". Ok, this is where I admit that while I went to the website and let it play, I didn't actually listen to it very closely. I think I was checking in clear charge that afternoon, it was just sort of background noise. Maybe I'm just not a natural multi-tasker. I don't listen to audio books when I drive, either, but that may just be because I don't drive very far. Oh, did you see that 60 Minutes piece about electric cars? I think it's GM that's developing a hybrid car that will go up to 40 miles before using any gasoline. Here it is, the Chevy Volt.

To get back on track, I think most people find "Play" to be the easiest habit. That sort of goes without saying, but I can see how people who aren't comfortable with computers might have a hard time letting loose and trying new things. I personally learn better when I can get my hands on things and figure out how they work, so I'll name Habit 5 as my easiest. Once I get interested in a subject, I'll read all I can from all kinds of sources to really understand it. For example, I've recently picked up crochet again. I read about a sampler afghan that was too good to not try, so I started reading blogs and found out about ravelry.com, signed up there, saw all kinds of cool stuff, and am now learning to make amigurumi (you can see a sample in my profile pic). I've checked out books on crochet, browsed magazines, listened to podcasts, all the information sources I could find to learn more. It's a lot of fun - I just have to remember to give my hands a break every once in a while!

The hardest habit for me is number 4. I have a lot of hobbies that I enjoy, but I don't consider myself an expert at any of them. I don't share my crafts with many people and I don't think I know enough to teach anyone how to do them. But I'm working on it, at least the sharing part. For example, this blog. :)