Whenever we learn something new, we change. Once we have learned something new, we are no longer the same person we were before we learned it. So a good way to test how well we are learning is by repeating what we have learned.
For instance, imagine you are an omnivore. You will eat just about anything that is put in front of you. Then one day you read an article about cattle farming. The information in the article upsets you so much you decide to stop eating meat. Your friends and family notice this change in your behavior and ask you about it, so you tell them what you have learned about cattle farming.
This same idea applies to school. If you are really learning from your academic studies, you should be able to explain what you are learning to others.
This activity will provide you with information about how well you learn in your daily experiences. It is meant to demonstrate that learning is something all of us can do.
For this activity you will need either a journal or notebook and a pen or pencil for writing.
Task: Every day presents us with multiple opportunities for informal learning. The more we are aware of these opportunities, the more likely we are to be receptive to learning in formal environments as well.
For this test, you need to keep a journal for one full week. You will write in your journal every night before you go to bed. In your journal, try to write down every new thing you learn each day.
Assessment: At the end of the week, tally up the different ways and the number of times you realized you had an opportunity to learn. Then take some time to reflect on how what you learned influenced who you are and how you perceive the world. Ask yourself if you are doing things differently as a result of what you learned during the week.
Interpretation: If you are a person who is receptive to learning, you will have had an easy time recalling the things you learned each day. You will also have found it easy to reflect on your learning and to assess whether or not your learning is contributing to your overall quality of life.
Challenge: If you are someone who does not find opportunities to learn in your daily life, or you cannot imagine how the things you learned during the week might have influenced you, you may have some unconscious resistance to learning. Your challenge now is to spend some time writing about your feelings about learning, exploring your past experiences as a learner, or articulating any beliefs you have about yourself as a learner.
Writing down your thoughts, feelings and memories as they arise is important for your success with EFT. That is because EFT works to alleviate uncomfortable feelings, whether or not you are aware of the cause of those feelings. If you can list all of the feelings that arise as you attempt to focus your attention on learning, you will be able to clear those feelings using EFT. Once you have cleared the uncomfortable feelings, you will have an opportunity to create new learning experiences and to associate new feelings with those experiences. You will also be able to use EFT to choose learning experiences that will enhance, rather than hinder, your well-being and ultimate success.
EFT can also help you to release any obsessive thoughts or memories that arise as you begin to focus your attention on your learning. For instance, if you have a recurrent memory of being humiliated by a teacher or a classmate, you can clear this memory from your mind by using EFT. EFT will not cause you to forget the memory entirely. It will simply free you of your obsession with the memory. When you are free of an obsessive memory of the past, you have more energy to devote to creating positive memories in your future.
EFT will also free you of any self-limiting beliefs. Again, you do not need to fully understand the source of those beliefs. You simply need to acknowledge that the beliefs exist.
Think of your journal as a safe place for you to record all your thoughts, feelings, beliefs and memories associated with learning. You will find your journal a valuable resource when you begin to integrate EFT into your life.