I used to get upset when I couldn’t learn something as easily as others. It always bothered me when a friend read a book and picked out all the themes, metaphors, and references, but I never could.
I’ve slowly realized that I just need a little more context to learn the same things. I need a slight nudge from something else to notice those same themes and metaphors. Whether that be through reading people’s thoughts on the book or watching a video that discusses it.
With other topics too, like when I read a book on NLP, I rarely grasp all the concepts after the first read-through. It often requires me to look up accessory articles and videos to break down the concepts in more detail.
My old self would disagree, but there’s nothing wrong with this. There’s no reason to be hard on myself for not understanding something in the same way as a friend.
I learn and absorb through extensive research, others learn through a single source. Some things require me to watch videos first, while another person can do it without external guidance
In the end, I’m learning the material, I’m picking up the new skill, or experiencing the literary masterpiece to the full extent. It’s just not in the same way as someone else.
So just because someone you know learns seemingly quicker than you or in ways you wish you could, don’t stress over it. Figure out how you learn. Determine the ways in which you can absorb the information and fully grasp everything in the material.
Don’t worry about how anyone else is doing it.
March 7, 2022
