learn, unlearn, relearn.
As a kid in school, I always thought the day will come and I finally can stop learning. Sitting down and learning seemed like a burden. I have to learn this now for school. And after school, I have to learn for university. And after that, I’m finally done learning.
After working for a couple of years, facing new obstacles, finding new things to be curious about, I can surely say that this is not the case. And I’m glad that I fell in love with learning during university. Learning never stops.
And this is great. Our situations may change, our interests may change, we might face new obstacles or opportunities. Usually, this makes us feel anxious, demotivated, or uncertain. But change — as paradoxical as it sounds — is the only constant in our life. We should embrace change and stop avoiding it. The best way to adapt to change is through learning.
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” — Alvin Toffler
What helped you in one situation or with one obstacle, may not be what will help you in the next situation or with the next obstacle. Therefore, we have to be willing to learn, unlearn, and relearn.
Learn a completely new skill.
Unlearn something old and learn something new.
Or unlearn something old and relearn it with a new perspective.
For example, let’s say you have a junior position. It might be a junior designer position or a junior developer position or any other junior position you want. You might have learnt skills to solve the tasks and problems you faced there. You might have learnt how to manage your projects.
Once you make the next step and move from being a junior to being a senior, you may have to learn new skills to solve new problems. You might have to unlearn how to manage projects because you don’t plan projects only for yourself anymore. You have to relearn it because now projects involve more people. Now you have to be willing to delegate more. This can be difficult if you are stuck in thinking that you have to do everything yourself. Be open to unlearn and relearn how to manage projects.
With every step we make, we might have to learn new skills — don’t be the one who says “I always used to do it like this.”.
The great thing is that “learning, unlearning, relearning” is not only true for skills we need for work but for everything you want. It may be a belief from your childhood, a perspective from a teacher, a mindset you developed.
I hope this helps a bit with the anxious feeling that change brings with it. Accept change and obstacles. Always be prepared to learn, unlearn, and relearn.
