Growth mindset
Never stop learning.
I love learning. I’d like to think I have a growth mindset.
I prefer reading articles more than scrolling social media. Tutorials and documentaries over TV series. Books over games.
Over the years, I found myself dabbling in many things. May it be as a hobby or a challenge to better myself. Learning just excites me.
I learned to play guitar when I was around 12. I’d go home right after school, pick up my guitar, and practice in my room. I would spend hours studying songs from my song hits. We had no Internet at the time and YouTube wasn’t a thing yet. So I had to self-learn the traditional way. Playing the guitar also allowed me to develop my songwriting skills. Nothing too technical, just expression of the state of mind and emotions. I have over a dozen songs across many notebooks for personal consumption.
After college, personal finance became my thing. I’d consume articles and blog posts about budgeting, money management, investing, economics, and the like. I’m an accountant by profession so the topics were somehow relevant. Since then, I’ve been developing my personal finance spreadsheet to guide me in managing my finances.
A few years ago, I came across trading stocks particularly technical analysis. It appealed to me. The rewards enticed me and the risks challenged me. So I studied trading, consumed all materials I could get my hands into. I had not been consistently profitable trading, but I already have a trading system and I just have to be better at execution.
Along the way, I learned that trading greatly involves self-development. That was how I got introduced to the self-help world. Again, I read and read. I immerse myself in topics like discipline, character development, mindset, and EQ management. Nowadays, I am deep into productivity, minimalism and stoicism.
Recently, I started to learn programming through The Odin Project. I’m in the early part of the curriculum so it’s still a long way to go. Hopefully, I could come up with my own projects by the end of the course.
I feel like acquiring knowledge is now my default mode. Almost always, if I have free time, I would read blog posts mostly about productivity, minimalism, and life in general. Here’s one of my recent readings about Bruce Lee’s famous “Be like water” metaphor.
I think to myself at times, why do I keep learning? Yes, it is fun and all, but to what end? I guess it’s in my nature now. I could have fun binge-watching shows or playing games but I choose growth. And there’s no ending to personal development. Learning is the means, but it could as well be the goal.