Learn, Unlearn & Relearn - Discovering the Magical Trio

Once upon a time there was a wise man called Prakash. He was?placed on a very high esteem amongst?all the villagers in his area who would approach him time and again to solve their pressing problems. While Prakash was?a learned individual, his only challenge was his approach?in other words…?‘My way or?the highway’.?It was one-way communication.?If anyone would counter his solution or present an alternative,?it wouldn’t go down well with him.

One day, there came a saint named Alok. Dressed in saffron robes, this saint had a magnetic aura. He built a small hut for himself on the top of a hill and began residing there. Every evening he would give discourses and slowly his popularity began to increase. People were charmed by his ways of listening to everyone’s problems, opening the floor for possible solutions, and then arriving at a mutually inclusive solution. Eventually, everyone who approached Prakash had now?begun?to consult Alok, and that made Prakash very unhappy. He would often wonder what was so magical in Alok’s teachings that people favored him.?

After a few days, Prakash walked up to the hill to meet Alok. He asked him: “What are you teaching that I don’t know?” The saint smiled and invited Alok inside his little hut. He offered him a glass full of water and began pouring more water from another jug into the same. Prakash was stubbed. In a few seconds, the jug was empty, and the floor was completely wet.?“What nonsense is this?” Asked Prakash.?“This is your state of mind Prakash,” replied the Saint. “Your mind is like a glass full of water. You feel you know it all and hence you’ve shut your ears to new ideas or approaches. You need to first remove some water from the glass, which means you need to un-learn certain things that don’t seem to be working right and then fill the glass with some fresh water.”

When I heard this story, I was lost in thoughts.?There are times, in the past I have quit reading a book, avoided certain people and intentionally switched off my mind during conversations only because I thought I already knew what they were going to say.?But in reality, can anyone exactly interpret?what others are trying to say? Can we ever completely judge a book’s contents by its cover? When was the last time you shared an important piece of information, advice or a solution with your peers, colleagues or employees and heard them saying: “Oh! I already know it”??Very often it seems… We always encounter scenarios like these in our life.?In today’s?fast-paced?world, we are surrounded by so much information that at times it overwhelms us. We begin to believe that we know the best way to lead our lives and that there is nothing better out there that we could implement. And that is where we forget that we are a part of a constantly evolving world.?

Think about it, are you using the same version of your mobile phone that you used 15 years ago? I used to love the snake game in the Nokia 2100 when it was launched but I love using a smartphone now. If back then Steve Jobs would have thought that the world knows enough about communication, we would still be playing the snake game :).?The magic trio for unprecedented growth is to learn, unlearn and relearn. It is the process of humbling ourselves enough to admit that I may not know it all, maybe I need to approach an expert to teach me a better way out, try and implement that, and God forbid if that doesn’t work too, being prepared to learn something new. When I am open to?learning?the second time, there will always be something additional that I would learn which may come handy in the future.?With time, we all need to consciously learn, unlearn and re-learn. When we block an idea or a thought, we are subconsciously blocking the possibility of a better tomorrow. If by learning how to appreciate my employees, I can retain them and make them perform better; or if by learning how to cook a new item, I can treat my children over dinner,?now?isn’t it worth it??

Truly speaking, knowledge is like water. It keeps adapting itself to time, place and circumstances while retaining its actual essence. While the original principles don’t change,?but?the application, method, and procedure change from time to time helping us create a better home, better society, and a better world. Just as John Maxwell notes in his book Falling Forward, that each time you fall one foot forward, by the 10th time, you’re 10 feet ahead of where you were.?So don’t be afraid of learning or resist acquiring knowledge. I strongly believe that one who learns continuously grows continuously and achieves endlessly.?

Pankaj Gupta Executive Director -?BNI Deira, Dubai, UAE

Executive Director - Corporate?Connections, Dubai, UAE