Challenge Yourself

Consider why you should learn new things and challenge yourself to new skills. Basically look at our brain, it’s like a muscle and we need to train it to keep it strong. If we don’t, it loses it’s strength. When we were young we learned at school from a young age till 18 or 21. Then when we got a job we learned new skills. However, after that, most of us settle into our daily routines and remain constant.

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Don’t stop Learning

Why should we stop learning just because we are older. If we stop learning we stop growing, we become stagnant. Hence we age quicker. Challenging yourself to new things is beneficial to longevity and your mental health. It creates new pathways in the brain which strengthens your cognitive skills ie. memory, concentration, problem solving and attention to detail.

Let’s look at that old saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. This implies a person who is old cannot learn a new skill, however is this really true? Yes, only if that person is someone who is used to doing things a certain way, and cannot or is not willing to learn a new way. They are set in their own way of doing things and are not in the right mindset. However if that person is ready to take on a challenge then could they learn? I think so. Don’t use age as an excuse! (If you haven’t already, read my post on “What is holding you back”)

Now as adults we have the freedom to learn anything we choose and now with the abundance of resources, it is so much easier. “The world is your oyster”, there is so much opportunity out there. That is no longer a saying just for the young…..

The Benefits

So what are the benefits of challenging yourself?

• Increasing cognitive skills, therefore help prevent dementia
• Improving personal wellbeing
• Better health
• Strengthen your confidence
• Can keep body active
• Keep you interested, preventing boredom
• Curiosity creates excitement
• Can reduce stress levels

Ways to challenge yourself

There are many ways you can challenge yourself. You can challenge yourself intellectually, physically or creatively. Here are a few ideas-

• Learn a new word – make a list and add to it everyday
• Attend an online course/class, I came across many free ones on facebook
• Learn a new exercise or focus on one that you are weak at and build on it
• Discover a new place once a month
• Learn a new language
• Read a book a month
• Try cooking one new recipe every week

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Finding my challenge.

Before having a family my head would constantly be buried in a book of romance or thriller especially when it was a book I couldn’t put down. However after having the kids, I decided to put it on hold because I could never get past the first page without dropping off.

Three years ago I tried to pick up this passion for reading again, however I found it difficult to get into a book. I wasn’t sure what it was until I chose an autobiography. I realised it was because I was reading about a real person. That’s when I started down the non-fiction route.

Since then I have read about many interesting topics and I am constantly increasing my reading library.

How I challenged myself.

Last year I set myself a challenge to read a book a month, which I am proud to say I achieved. I started listening to books on Audible in the car while I drove to and from work to make the trip less monotonous. If you are not a reader try the Audible app. You can get a free trial period here where you get to choose a free book and if you wish to cancel after the free trial you still get to keep the free audio book. Also I learned how to read quicker with better comprehension by using a method taught in the book “Limitless” by Jim Kwik.

I find the more I read the more curious I get. I have developed a special interest in learning how our minds and body work. My passion for reading has developed into a craving for more knowledge.

To Summarise

Challenging yourself to new things keeps your brain active and in order to keep growing you need to keep learning. Learning new things and skills provide many benefits to your health and longevity. Do not use age as an excuse or as a consequence you will age quicker.

Did you have a passion when you were younger? Something that you wish you had tried? Trying to find what that is, could help you find your new challenge.

As always Living Agelessly

Kath

PS. As another challenge to myself, once this post goes live I promised to do my first Facebook live on my facebook group. Please request to join if you want to see how I do.