What are you going to learn from this post? 

• What it means to learn from the outside
• What it means to learn from the inside
• Why adopting a beginner mindset helps us grow

I got out of my comfort zone, now what? Learn, learn, learn… When we become aware of the programs and principles that we adopt from society without questioning them in any way, and we realize that many of them were not supporting our life purpose and begin leaving them behind, the only viable way that seems to be left is to find a new formula that works for us. Or at least, this is what I thought after getting out of the comfort zone I was in. 

I knew that if I wanted to make better decisions in the future, I had to give myself the chance of being a little girl: I had to be an open book willing to listen to new opinions, new methods, and new ideas, but this time the goal was not only to listen but also to question each thing that was entering my head so I would not let myself be programed by anything or anyone before proving that the information I was getting fitted my life. 

This period was all about learning, but not just learning about techniques and how to do things, that of course are also important, but also learning about myself. To do this, you have to listen to your INNER SELF, who definitely has the answers you can’t find in any book, nor in google (just to make it clear). 

Growing became a goal by itself, and my learning periods began to be divided in two parts: First, to learn from the outside, and second, to learn from the inside. I have learned that in life there are times and moments for both. 

What does it mean “to learn from the outside”? 

“From the outside”, you can learn through books, conferences, programs, online courses, listening to others’ experiences, and much more. When you learn from the outside you are in the mode of consuming information. The most important technique here is to first let the information pass through us without judging it in any form, and taking time at the end to reflect and question if it is something that really applies to us, and if it does, how can we use it. 

What does it mean “to learn from the inside”? 

On the other hand, we have “learning from the inside”, which is all about LISTENING TO YOURSELF, and start communicating with your INNER SELF. These are the moments when you shut down the external world, and focus on having a conversation with yourself. The magic starts to happen when you start asking yourself who you are, what are your interests, passions, talents, strengths, weaknesses, what you truly want, and what works for you. Listening to yourself takes time, just as any other relationship, you have to water it so it can grow. 

There are millions of ways and methods that can help you communicate with your inner self, you can meditate, listen, walk, run, do nothing, and many more.  In my case, being a woman who loves to write, and who believes in journaling as a method of self discovery and of taking action, my way to connect with my inner self was exactly that, to write in my journal with my heart open and vulnerable to find the truths I could not find in the outside.

To grow we have to be open to adopt a beginner’s mentality

In this life we have two options: or we grow, or we die… and growing is being open to learn from the outside and from the inside, no matter how challenging it may be. The moment we stop learning, or feel like we know everything, that moment we stop growing.

Adopting a beginner’s mentality, being a blank page, helped me find wonderful information, to understand things I could not see before, to see life differently, and to start DESIGN my life on my own terms, and to FEEL GOOD AND HAPPY with my life and my now. 

Post’s lesson

The lesson I want you to take today is this: After getting out of our comfort zone, we have to be open to learning new things and taking new paths. Sometimes the best action you can take is to learn, because no matter the circumstances, we always have the choice TO GROW, and to grow is to learn.

Lastly, I will leave you with a question to answer in your journal: what can you do today to learn something new (from the inside, and from the outside) that can help you achieve your goals? It could even be to first learn which are your goals. 

Let me know in my social media channels if you want to get more tips to continue expanding your knowledge, and that support your personal growth.  Find me as @andreinavalderrama

With love,

Andreína.