There isn’t much about life in this world that is 100% guaranteed. However, one thing is certain: to continue to grow, you must continue to learn. You don’t need a bucket list to choose skills, techniques, or lessons you wish to gain. What you do need is a passion for what you’ll be learning.
Developing a passion for learning
Before you begin to consider new pathways of learning, it’s important that you discover what you’re truly passionate about. If thoughts of taking up a hobby or starting a business frequently surround you, your daydreams may be a good sign you’ve stumbled upon a passion of yours.
Spending your spare time thinking about a potential life experience (i.e. sailing, writing novels, jewelry making, or taking urban photography classes) is a sure sign that you’re vehement on learning. Additional signs that point to a fueled desire are:
External motivation isn’t needed to prompt you to focus on or engage in the subject.
Time flies while you’re working.
Enthusiasm you feel about the area shows in your voice and face when you talk about the topic.
Quitting isn’t something you ever have enough willpower to do, even during the most challenging of times.
This is an area that you explore and are active in mostly due to the way you feel when you’re active in the field. If you earn money from the field, it is never the primary motivation or reward.
Friends and relatives have told you that they notice how much joy you experience when you’re working in this arena.
We’ve come up with a list of amazing things to investigate when looking for a new enriching hobby or experience. For starters, you’ll appreciate learning:
Key ways to use music to tell stories. Stopping by the local university and enrolling in a music course isn’t the only way to learn how to create music. Talented musicians give private lessons that you could take advantage of. If you want to learn how to play the piano, you could rent a piano and take lessons at home. Thanks to the Internet, you could also watch videos on YouTube, look up song tabs, or take online classes to learn about hand placement, tone, and notes on a keyboard.
Design and build furniture. At first glance, this might sound too challenging, but, with the right education, you could learn how to build uniquely designed tables, bookcases, and chairs. Some people have used their design skills to earn a full-time income designing furniture for single-family homes and office buildings.
Speak a new language. You can learn a new language right at home with free and easy online programs such as Duolingo. There are books and audiotapes that you can read and listen to in order to learn a language you’ve never spoken before. If you live near people who speak the language you want to learn, you could search for a meet up group and learn the new language faster and more naturally.
Live in another country. Visiting another country is cool, but living abroad for several months or a year or longer could truly offer you the opportunity to expand and grow. As a tip, take the time to fulfill the fourth “lesson learned” topic before you head for distant shores. Forget about staying at a hotel or limiting your explorations to tourist sites. Get out and make friends. Learn to eat foods that are traditional to the country you live in. If you’re concerned about money, consider traveling to a country you’ve always been interested in through your employer. In fact, some employers are eager to find talented employees who are willing to live and work abroad.
How to take intriguing photographs. As with music, these lessons can be completed several ways. For example, if you live in a major city like New York, you could enroll in photography classes instructed by a photographer local to your neighborhood. Online and in-person NYC photography classes are available. Topics covered include how to use a camera, long exposures, lighting, taking pictures at night versus during the day, and taking clear pictures in inclement weather.
Whether or not it’s on your bucket list, you’ll also want to get your personal story on paper. Consider incorporating pictures that you learn to take while enrolled in NYC photography classes into your personal story. On the other hand, you might prefer to keep a private journal or write a novel. As with other areas, by taking the time to learn about book structure, character development, plot, pacing and dialogue, you could save yourself the frustration of making needless mistakes. You might even discover that the new thing you’ve learned has become a new passion.