Over the past three years, I have grown more and more excited about the art of self-learning.
Deciding to become an autodidact has become quintessential to my daily routine and future.
Now that I have the freedom to choose when I study, what I read, and how I write, a tremendous source of empowerment works behind creating a life that I am actually excited about building.
Setting my own goals and choosing to achieve them under my own guidance and deadlines, instead of following others into societal traps which neglect the importance of work-life balance (and which as of now are only beginning to be reconsidered, rethought and refined) has lead me to cultivate more habits toward meaningful work.
For years, I felt that school systems limited my intellectual exploration and cognitive potential. I had to study subjects that often bored my interests (history…cough, cough) which often lead down roads of test memorization and brash note-taking (none of which I can remember now anyways) instead of enthusiastic interest, willing contribution, and most importantly, a sort of practicality and application of self-learning in daily life.
Since graduating from college, I’ve had more time to discover the element of educating myself continuously. Without the hassle of obligatory freshman and sophomore classes than don’t pertain to my major, mandated tests that I’ve stayed up all night cramming for (yes, I was a procrastinator) and spending what money I did have on outrageously priced text books that I wasn’t keenly interested in reading, I’ve managed to amass quite the library on science and self-knowledge. Allowing myself to choose education and how it would pertain to my life, the chance to explore what I love to do and cultivate the skill sets towards doing it, has led me to grow exponentially in terms of my craftsmanship and in knowledgeability of both the world and myself. It’s a rather unfortunate circumstance of public education that so much emphasis is placed on the objective world and not the subjective, an area of importance that in time I aim to influence.
By reading subjects that interest me, I am more eager to finish books, pick up another, and dedicate my attention to more educative experiences rather than wasting enormous amounts of time floating around mindlessly or binge stream entertainment channels.
After falling in love with a new author that I’ve discovered, I am more apt to read it again, summarize it, commit it to memory, and apply what I’ve learned to my daily life.
I am learning to write about subjects I greatly value and slowly develop my own voice as a contributing author.
I am excited to learn new subjects, integrate them, and to educate myself consistently towards my goals.
The more I educate myself and share my passion with others, the more charisma I have to continue learning, the more charity I can give, the more work is handled without restraint, without stress, and without dis-ease.
Now, more than ever, I want to get up, learn, and give back.
I am powerful when knowledge and force are behind my doing.
Life becomes alive when you decide to start making choices from a well-spring, you own inner source, of liberation.
Education commences when you decide it does.
Taking the bureaucratic constraints off my own development process has guided me to grow with purpose, something 21 years of public education could never do. My choices have guided me to a sense of purpose.
If I could encourage you to do anything, consider giving autodidactism a try.
It’s simple: pick up an interesting book and read it. You are sure to learn something new.
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For those interested, here’s what I’ve been reading recently.
About Stephan Stansfield
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