The Self-Sabotaging Effect Of Being A Constant Learner.

You Have To Know When To Stop And Get To Work.

Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash

One of the sins I unknowingly committed against myself is believing that I must constantly learn in different aspects of my life to feel like a complete human being.

Be it in the sphere of Writing or Skills or Self-Help or Personal Development, I believed, as I was told, that I must constantly keep learning. And the moment I stop learning, I am doomed.

This feeling was confirmed with every book, every course, and every video I took.

The teachers keep telling you that you have to keep at it to stay in the game. So I kept at it; on and on I went. Until one day, I was exhausted and overwhelmed with everything I had to learn. I was also disheartened because the more I learnt, the more I realised I wasn't good enough. I was always a step behind in EVERYTHING. 

This was when it struck me that there is no end to learning.

They say that you should be a learner for life. Be it around personal skills or professional skills, you have to make sure you upgrade your human software with the latest knowledge. But they forget to emphasise that it is not enough to be a learner. You also need to be an action-taker.

No matter how much you learn, it will be of no use if you don't put it to use.

For the first five years of my writing journey, I did nothing else but research about Writing. Books, videos, courses, workshops - I did everything under the Sun. Except write my own words. The more I learnt about Writing, the more I realised how much I didn't know. And the more I learnt, by the time I understood what was being taught, the world decided to upgrade itself, and the knowledge I had just acquired became outdated.

Finally came a time when I realised there was no stopping this hamster wheel. So it was better for me and my sanity to jump off it.

I stopped learning and started acting on what I had learnt so far. And that is when I actually grew.

Now I understand Writing and my way of doing it better. The lessons I learnt in those five years... I covered them all in the first year of my action. If I had paused my learning for a moment and taken action, I would have achieved my results long before now.

There are two ways you self-sabotage yourself by being a constant learner.

One - you end up feeling not enough, so you keep learning in the hope that you'll one day feel enough (therefore hurting your soul).

Two - you end up feeling smart, so you keep learning in the hopes of feeling smarter (therefore inflating your ego).

But don't worry.

There's a solution to this problem as well. And it's a two-stepper.

One - BELIEVE that you're enough.

Of course, there are things you want to improve in your life, but that doesn't mean where you are right now is a total failure. The fact that you have made it this far with the experience, wisdom, knowledge and skills is proof that you are not only enough, you are more than enough.

Two - Instead of gaining more knowledge to sound smart, use your existing knowledge to show how smart you are.

Yes, in the beginning, you will make a fool of yourself. You will look like an idiot. But here's the thing - you'll look like one, not be like one. If you are all talk and no action, you will definitely become an idiot. But if you are no-to-less talk and all action, in the end, you'll come out victorious.

Being a learner is a crucial characteristic to have. But don't be so engrossed in learning that you don't take any action and, therefore, cannot prove to yourself that you have learnt the lessons.

Know when to stop learning, or at least give it a break, and get to work. Let your actions prove to you that you are enough and smart.

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