Remembering what we've learned

I started using an app that sends me 6 randomly selected quotes that I have highlighted from 6 books I’ve read over the years.?

In almost every instance I feel like I’m reading the highlighted section for the first time and that in most cases I haven’t done much to implement the wisdom distilled by the author.?

The wisdom we encounter is often just as fleeting as it is profound for two reasons:?

• If we do not implement lessons right away, we tend to forget them.?
• It takes a lot of energy to overcome the gravitational pull of old habits, thus we are limited by how much change we can realistically implement at any given point in time.?

All of this has convinced me that our brains?—?well, mine at least?—?are not reliable storage devices for lessons that we have learned.?

And insofar as it is much better to be able to recall a lesson than it is to have to repeat a mistake to relearn it, it makes sense to invest in creating ways to remember what we have learned.?

Using an app (Readwise, if you’re curious) is one way. A simpler and perhaps just as effective way is to make a point to write down important lessons that you’ve learned that you can reference as needed.?

We don’t benefit when we consume wisdom; we benefit when we encode it into our lives.?

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The Daily Spark exists for two reasons:

1. To document one idea every day that I've found helpful in my life.
2. To inspire you to discover what matters most and to take action towards it

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About me:

I'm a second-generation Taiwanese American trying to find life’s greatest sources of meaning and make the most out of it.