Looking at the World Through a Learning Lens

Everyone would agree that we can learn from our life experience. And everyone does.

We all have experiences every day. But have you noticed that some people seem to glean far more from their experiences than others?

If you would like to better harvest the lessons from your experiences, consider putting on a different set of glasses.

The Movie Experience

Ever watched a movie with someone then discussed it afterward? You may have found that you noticed, saw, and were interested by very different things than your viewing partner. Different characters and different parts of the movie impacted you differently. If so, have you stopped and thought about why? After all, it is the same movie, the same images, and the same sounds. Yet, you mentioned, noticed, and cared about different things.

Same experience, different observations.

Have you ever watched the same movie at different times in your life and had very different reactions to or observations about it?

Of course you have.

The current situation and context of your life allowed you to see different things in exactly the same experience. You were watching the movie through a different lens. And that lens helped you “see” new things.

The Translation

Here is the cool thing about these movie experiences.

We can consciously pick the lens through which we look at the world. This conscious choice then allows us the opportunity to notice or observe different things. And those observations can be the source of new knowledge, understanding, and learning.

This is very exciting news!

It means that whatever we experience, read, listen to, and watch can be an opportunity for learning!

This is true for all of us. Everyone will have 'aha' moments or make connections in the midst of certain situations. But with a couple of choices and some practice, you can make this more intentional, effective, and consistent.

In other words, you can learn more every day than you ever thought possible.

The Two Choices

1. Pick your lens. In other words, decide what you want to learn. Then look for clues or ideas in your life experiences that apply to your learning goal.
2. Reflect on your observations. When you notice something new, make the connection back to your situation and context. This converts your observation into learning.

This will take some practice, but not nearly as much as it might seem as you are reading this advice.

Examples

Here are a couple of simple, everyday examples to illustrate the process.

• Most people watch the news because they “want to be informed.” Yet, many people talk about how the news is so negative. As a leader, why not watch the news through your “leadership lens?” Pay attention to how leaders in the news communicate, make decisions, deal with change, and more. You might find things you want to do, or things you want to avoid. But isn’t there learning there?
  
  Same experience, vastly different result, based on the lens you choose.
  
  
• Perhaps you are reading a light novel for enjoyment on your summer vacation. Go ahead and put on the lens of what you want to be learning. As you read the story, get to know the characters, the setting, the time period, and more. There may be lessons for you in those pages too! Plus, if you want to be a better fisherman (if that is your lens), you could pick novels set in fishing villages, on fishing vessels, or… well, you get the idea.

A Final Thought

Picking our lens is critical to becoming lifelong learners and squeezing all we can from our lives. But as important as the two choices are, there is a third choice you need to make that will ultimately make the biggest difference.

After you have made new observations and reflected on them, you must choose to apply what you have learned. You must use, try, and practice.

When you make these conscious choices, your learning and your results will accelerate. You will become one of those people others look up to as wise, accomplished, and successful – a true lifelong learner.