Every parent realizes that it’s extremely important to develop their child’s thirst for knowledge so that they can grow up to become the kind of person who is always in the process of learning, and who goes from strength to strength in life.
We take this idea so seriously, in fact, that we will read to our kids, will involve them in a Montessori preschool, and will take them to all sorts of after-school classes and clubs.
But what about your thirst for knowledge? Aren’t you interested in gaining wisdom as well? Yes, it is also extremely important for you – as a parent – to nurture and expand your knowledge base.
All too often, as we get older, we fall into ruts and miss out on some of the magic of maintaining an ongoing sense of curiosity about the world.
3 Ways to Develop your Knowledge Base as a Parent
So, here are a few ways to feed your own thirst for knowledge as a parent.
Investigate Things in Depth, not just in a Shallow Way
Often, partly thanks to the fact that we all have Internet access these days, we will tend to take in a lot of information in a shallow kind of way, but won’t take in a lot of “deep” information.
In other words, it’s likely that you find yourself skimming plenty of articles online without really paying much attention to what you’re reading. But, you probably spend a lot less time reading books, and listening to long lectures on different subjects. And trust me, there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, we NEED to feed our brain light information. Nothing heavy.
But take note, it REALLY pays to investigate things in depth. The more you know about a subject, the more interesting it seems, and the more you want to know about it, as well.
Read books, listen to long talks, take online courses, and just generally try to look into things further than clickbait headlines.
Have at least one Hobby going at any Given Moment
The neuroscientist Norman Doidge has written about the fact that being involved deeply in hobbies, and switching hobbies around every few years, seems to work wonders in maintaining the mental function of people as they age.
Having at least one hobby going at any given moment also serves as a great opportunity for digging deep into a subject, and learning a lot about it.
More than that, though, getting involved in different hobbies helps to build your curiosity and enthusiasm about various subjects, and makes your life more interesting, too.
So if you look at my life as an example, I have taken up hobbies in the past like drawing, painting, jewelry making, creating videos etc. I still find time to do them in no particular order. The point is, it keeps your brain cells stimulated. And your knowledge level sharp in these areas.
Make a Habit of Setting yourself Goals, and going after them
Pursuing knowledge is a lot like pursuing anything else – you have to be in the right proactive mindset in order to make it happen and in order to enjoy the process.
If you find that you spend a lot of time living your life on autopilot, and “going with the flow” – as opposed to setting yourself a goal and charting a course towards it – you’re probably not doing yourself any favors as far as feeding your thirst for knowledge goes.
It is what I keep writing on my blog in almost every post if you pay attention.
Set a goal and give it all you got to make it happen. Stay focused and simply refuse to live life on autopilot.
Make a habit of setting yourself big, meaningful, and ambitious goals on a regular basis, and actively going after them. When you’re pursuing a goal you care about, you’ll naturally be driven to learn along the way.
So what say you, Mama? Convinced to shake up life a little?
Ready to push your knowledge level to the edge?
Hope these ideas give you a great start!