Wellness Tonic Ingredient: Learning | Spring~Summer 2022 Edition, Issue #15

Jun 1, 2022

Photo Credit: Maria Stavreva

“Unless you try to do something beyond
what you have already mastered,
you will never grow.”

~  Ralph Waldo Emerson  ~

Dear Friends, Fans and SoulMates,

What is a growth (or learning) mindset? It’s a theory developed by Dr. Carol Dweck around the belief that you can improve intelligence, ability and performance – that talents are not innate. It’s an important concept and a selling point now in the corporate world – and no wonder! Organizations that embrace this theory, according to Dr. Dweck, have more innovative employees who take up challenges and show more resilience. Those qualities have no doubt become critically important in the last two years.

But what about individual you? You are perhaps an independent business owner, a contract worker, a full-time mom or dad, a person who works in the arts. Have you felt as agile or well as you would like lately? Learning new “tricks” (and making a habit of it) may be just what the doctor ordered.

With this as a context we decided, for this edition of Wellness Tonic, to focus on Wellness through Learning.

Wellness Tonic To-Go

Great Meditation | 10 Minute Meditation for a Growth Mindset | June 2021

In the New York Times’ series on resilience we learn of a prosecutor who took up horse back riding during a particularly difficult  case involving a serial-killer. The pressure had made her withdraw, and she found the hour-long rides helped her re-focus and bounce back quicker upon return to the office. In the same article, author and speaker, Simon Sinek said, “What I have learned from my career is that something I learned over here helps me over there,” he said. A fan of dancing, he was encouraged to register for ballet classes by friends. Did he get hired by the American Ballet Theatre? No. But it helped his posture and he learned to walk differently and with more confidence when on stage. But, listen, this is not a post about the benefits of exercise or movement (though that’s good too). Learning new skills and gaining new knowledge is linked to a sense of purpose.

There are lots of ways to keep learning.

If formal classes seem too daunting, there are thousands of classes you can do at your own pace available from lofty institutions of higher learning, or as simple as competent artist entrepreneurs who will help you learn how to use watercolors (for $19 total for 6 weeks of classes). It’s good to keep the definition of education broad here: Learn how to change a tire; read a biography every two months; master excel….ugh.

Why? Learning keeps your mind engaged. Learning something new you can apply to your work opens doors for you.  Learning increases your adaptability. When you take on a challenge to learn, whether you become the latest Rembrandt or not, you gain confidence.​

Photo Credit: gustavofrazao

If you want to make learning a bigger part of your life, it helps to think about learning in the broadest sense. Classes and formal courses are great ways to learn new things, but as we’ve seen, can seem overwhelming in an already overwhelming life. So we may just need to keep in mind that there are lots of other ways to keep learning.  Looking for inspiration, check out Keep on Learning: Using Your Brain to Improve Well-Being.

Have you learned a new skill just for the heck of it?  We’d love to hear your stories of continued learning and what it means to you. So, please get in touch at  Food For The Soul.

Trust your intuition, my friends, and most of all, be WELL!

Wholeheartedly,
Your Food For The Soul Team