Social-Emotional Learning: Responsible Decision-Making

Learning is NOT easy. We all experience times and situations when learning gets hard. How can we help ourselves to overcome this problem? How can we nurture our own learning process? 

My first thought is that learning is ALWAYS at its best when we enjoy it! Some things are easier to learn than others, but for me the trick usually is to justify to myself WHY I want to learn it. (Please note: I didn't say why I NEED to learn it, but why I WANT to learn it!) Children are the best role models for wanting to learn anything and everything we encounter. :)

For most things I can find a reason for wanting to learn something - it might help me in the future path, or it is something I have been curious about. Compliance is a hard concept for learning enjoyment! Yet, sometimes we are able to lie to ourselves that what we need to learn is actually useful to us. 

Learning new things builds our confidence. And learning is SO much more than just memorizing a bunch or facts! It is about thinking about how they relate to what we already know, and how we can apply the new information. Deeper learning happens when we are able to apply what we are learned.

So, what are your solutions for nurturing your own learning?