When I was in college I thought I had life all figured out. I thought I knew everything, and I thought the way in which I saw the world was the only way to view it. I could not have been more wrong.
“I was so much older then, I’m much younger than that now.” – Bob Dylan
College exposed me to people I never knew existed, and ideas that I never thought possible. It challenged my most firmly held beliefs, and shattered many of my perceptions into bits of rubble.
But it didn’t stop there. In fact, my learning experience has exponentially increased since graduating from college.
Education is not something that begins and ends with school. I challenge you to constantly challenge your intellect and personal philosophies. Here are some ways to do it.
Travel
Traveling teaches you how other people see the world and how they work through it. You will realize that some of the customs and norms of your culture can be seen as just as odd as the ones you are witnessing for the first time. Personally, it’s the most educationally rewarding experience out there.
Read
I constantly read. In fact I normally read three books at the same time. One fiction, one self-help book, and one history book. The unlimited amount of information out there is is simply mesmerizing to me. I know that reading is the last thing you want to do after college – since most of your classes require a ridiculous amount of reading material – but once you find book on a topic you like you won’t be able to put it down.
Find new ways to take care of yourself
I learned how to mediate and started to practice yoga through various apps and YouTube tutorials, and I haven’t looked back since. Discovering life hacks like meditating, taking cold showers, and stretching can offer an endless amount of benefits to your physical and mental health.
Learn a new language or skill
I’ve been practicing both the German and Russian language through apps such as duolingo and memrise, and I have dabbled in learning how to code through Code Academy. All of these skills can be acquired for free, and the resources are endless. Learning a new language or skill helps keep your wit sharpened. In fact, much sharper than your over caffeinated, overworked and overwhelmed college self.
Travel, read books, take care of your self, and learn a new language or skill. Engage with the other, listen without prejudice, and in the words of the late Stephen Covey, “seek first to understand, and then to be understood.”
The funny thing about being a former know it all is that the more you learn, the more you realize that you don’t know much at all.
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