MindSwitch Mondays Issue #4: Spreading Einstein's Love for Learning
Hello friends - greetings from San Salvador!
This week I wrote about Einstein’s love for learning. I thought about what I wanted my kids to learn the most, and I relate to Einstein in that LOVE for LEARNING is a more important skill than discipline.
1 Idea to think about 💡
This past week I have been thinking about this idea: every skill we acquire is added to a unique personal bundle, that becomes our unique proposition to this world.
Keep learning and keep practicing because by learning and practicing you can make a difference in this world!
2 Findings to Kick Start your week 🏃🏻
Morning Routines and Strategies by Tim Ferris
Tim Ferris interviews bestselling author Seth Godin and asks him about his latest project. Seth Godin goes on to explain his thought that kids should be taught two things:
How to lead
To solve interesting problems
This made me think about how we are approaching daily education at home and in schools. Are we providing opportunities for kids to develop leadership skills? Are we allowing them to practice problem-solving by having us as mentors? Or are we solving problems for them? I like to think of childhood as a time in which kids have the opportunity to practice their skills with mentors (parents and teachers) by their side. The more we allow them to practice, the more their skills will grow with them into adulthood.
How Einstein Learned Physics by Scott H. Young
Einstein did not learn physics by sitting in front of a blackboard and repeating problems over and over until he aced them in a standardized test.
Einstein went from being a regular physics student to a Nobel Prize winner by:
Developing intuition of ideas
Building understanding through problem-solving
Understanding ideas through experiments
Overturning common sense
He was driven by a strong curiosity to know how things actually worked and believing that things in nature could be understood as a mathematical structure. Curiosity is what drove him to create what he left for us in this world. We remember Einstein for his deep work in physics and he continues to serve as a brilliant inspiration around the world.
3 MindSwitch Steps 🧠:
This week's mind switches will focus on identifying the bundle of skills you have developed. What is your unique proposition to this world?
🔎 Curiosity: Love for learning is something that can be developed in yourself by finding the topics you are most curious about. The more you learn, the more you will discover. Start following one of your curiosity paths to see where it leads you to. Last week I wrote about keeping a to-learn list, which can be a great tool to keep the learning momentum going. Have you developed any skills in one of your curiosity topics?
🧩 Solving Problems: Many of us view problem-solving as a challenge but forget how valuable each problem can be for our development if taken the right way of course. Problem Solving Skills can be developed if practiced daily. View problems as opportunities for growth rather than fires to put out. How do you see yourself as a problem solver? Do you avoid problems, or face them upfront? Do you feel the urge to control or are you able to manage? do you need more practice in this skill?
👓 Unique lenses: We are all born with a unique pair of lenses; how we view the world. These lenses can be polished, cleaned, transformed, and changed by our experiences. What lenses do you have on right now? Do you have a unique perspective on situations or ideas? If so, are you able to identify one or two as your unique proposition?
This is all for this week. Thanks for reading!
I LOVED reading all your replies to my newsletter last week! I want to learn how last week’s MindSwitch Steps went for you. When you feel like sharing, hit the reply button, and let me know what’s on your mind. I respond to every email I get.
Stay safe, stay healthy! 😷
P.S This made me happy and wanted to share it with you!