The Love of Learning

I got a little push back from my dear hubby last night over dinner on my blog post on delegating.   As I mentioned, he is not a fan, preferring to spend the time learning how to do whatever it is he needs to do.

So, in the interests of fair journalistic reporting, I decided to interview him and get the other side of the story.

As it turns out, we are on the same page – mostly.  That’s actually part of what makes our marriage work so beautifully – huge areas of compatibility and shared values, balanced with our own quirky variations on how we see and be in the world that keeps that happy tension and spark alive.

But that’s another subject.

Back to doing it yourself vs. delegating.

What James loves about doing it yourself is the challenge -  the thrill of satisfaction that comes from mastering something you didn’t previously know how to do. Simply put, the love of learning.

Well, that’s actually a value and a perspective I share whole-heartedly. I love learning. You should see how many online courses I have signed up for over the years. My bookshelves are filled with how-to books. I can’t count the number of times I have Googled “How do I…”  It’s amazing what you can learn on-line these days!

I love learning new stuff. I too love the challenge, and the reward of figuring something new out.

It’s a constant lifelong process, being a learner. And I wouldn’t change that for the world – it’s part of what keeps me alive, engaged, and interested in life. And the more I learn, the more I can share and be of service to others, by passing along what I learn.  There is nothing quite so satisfying as learning something new, figuring it out, and then teaching it to someone else.

So, where does that leave me with the benefits of delegating?

I’m still all for it. To me, it’s a question of honing in on what I actually want to learn, what excites me, what challenges me… And outsourcing the things that don’t float my boat. There is, after all, a finite amount of time available to us – at least in this go around – so for me, it’s a question of choosing wisely how I want to use that time.

Bottom line – learn to do the things that inspire you, and let go of those that don’t – and give someone who does love to do that thing the opportunity to do so. It’s a Win-Win.

What about you dear reader?  What can't you wait to learn? And what are you just itching to delegate?

                       

De-cluttering magic – letting go of the stuff of life

Last week on the blogging trail I chucked out a load of burdensome mindsets from my back pack.  This week, I decided, it’s time to tackle the actual physical stuff that clutters my desk, my shelves and my drawers – and hence my mindset.

I’d say I am a pretty organized person – I have my neatly labeled files, my tidily arranged storage boxes, in theory a place for everything… but the reality is, that despite my best efforts, it just gets out of hand. A few days of busyness, and lo and behold, the inevitable piles of paper, the stacks of books, the this’s and that’s, mushroom like magic, like mutant viruses intent on conquering my space.

Now, I know it’s me… only me who prints the paper and buys the books and acquires all this stuff and brings it in to my space….. and believe me I have tried almost every known system for dealing with it. Over the years I have probably purchased at least a dozen books on organizing your life, de cluttering, feng shui, etc., and yet wherever I look, office, living room, bedroom closet, and of course my sock drawer… there is always just way too much STUFF!  And did I say books? 

Speaking of books, I happened upon this little gem over the weekend – The life-changing magic of tidying up – the Japanese art of de cluttering and organizing by Marie Kondo. Her revolutionary method, which challenges the conventional little-by-little approach to de-cluttering, advocates a once and for all system that, she promises, leads to lasting results.

This caught my attention. Although I came to the conclusion that lightening my metaphorical backpack on the blogging trail was a daily practice, I’m not so sure that de -cluttering as a daily practice actually works. It really hasn’t worked for me, and judging by the fact that Marie Kondo’s book has sold over 2 million copies, I don’t think it works for most of us either.

So, I’ve decided to set my sights this week on liberating myself from the too much stuff of life, for once and for all. Sound unrealistic or overly ambitious?  Perhaps. Yet I know from past experience with short lived de-cluttering results, that it feels so freeing, so spacious, so fresh…. to have a clean desk and a minimal amount of stuff.

So starting today, until I’m done, I’m following Marie Kondo’s advice. “Start by discarding, all at once, intensely and completely.”

It will be interesting to see where this leads. Want to join me dear reader?