Lifelong learning is a commitment to self growth, curiosity, open-mindedness, and a determination to learn. I am a firm believer that one of your purposes in life is to simply experience as much as possible by learning as much as you can. Anyone can commit to being a lifelong learner regardless of their age. Here are the steps that you can take to start your journey.

Step 1: Forget about age.

This is the hardest part. I joined my school’s orchestra in middle school to play the violin and continued to throughout high school, but quit my sophomore year. I am now a college grad and I have decided to pick it up again at 22. The old me used to blame my parents for not putting me in private lessons so I could have been a child prodigy, but the lifelong learner in me is embracing the adventure of learning a new skill. Put the “I’m too old to learn this” aside and switch the narrative to “I am excited to learn what I can.”

Step 2: Be curious and open-minded

The limiting beliefs in Step 1 can hinder this curiosity and open-mindedness. After many years of believing how things should be, it can be difficult to see things in another light. You can practice curiosity and open-mindedness by simply giving things a try. Google that pottery class that you have been wanting to take and read the reviews. Watch a YouTube video of a makeup tutorial you would like to try. Feed the curiosity and explore the open-mindedness by setting aside the limiting beliefs and simply tuning in.

Step 3: Embrace the growth

I believe that this is the most fun part that comes with lifelong learning–the excitement of seeing growth and improvement, no matter how small. What would life be if we didn’t have anything to look forward to? Embracing a growth mindset means celebrating the small wins and the determination that it took to get there.

How I am practicing lifelong learning at 22:

After graduating college, I moved to a whole new city for work. I moved with my boyfriend, but still needed community and excitement. I saw online that my city had an adult orchestra. I had not played the violin in seven years, nor was I an expert, but I signed up anyway. The process of learning once again and being a part of a group of older people who made a commitment to learn inspired me heavily. It made me realize that the joy in life comes from trying new things and challenging yourself to learn.

I have decided that I would like to commit to lifelong learning by simply going for everything that I remotely have an interest in. Since then, I have started a successful TikTok page, and learned so much about content creation. I learned how to make this blog. I got back into my crafty hobbies and watch YouTube videos constantly for new projects to try. When you put the limiting belief that you can’t do something aside, you open several more opportunities for life to surprise and excite you.

Affirmations and Inspiration for Lifelong Learners:

All photos in this post are from Pinterest