“Learning is not memorizing information; learning is changing your behavior.”

David Senra, The Tim Ferriss Podcast

Reflections

I recently listened to a conversation between Tim Ferriss and David Senra, host of the Founders podcast and David Senra (his newest podcast), both of which are dedicated to sharing lessons from the world’s greatest entrepreneurs. During their conversation, Tim asked David:

“What do you see or surmise about people who make the leap from [. . .] ingesting information to actually implementing, and those who don’t? What’s the missing piece in the middle?”

David answered somewhat indirectly by saying:

“The maxim I’ve made for myself on this is [. . .] learning is not memorizing information; learning is changing your behavior.”

I thought this was an interesting idea. Here are some thoughts that came to mind as I pondered the deeper meaning of David’s response:

Learning is not committing something to memory; that is merely memorization. Learning is the act of integrating new information with prior knowledge to create a more coherent and useful understanding. As information is infinite, learning is an infinite process. 

Learning is the means by which existing knowledge structures are updated as new, relevant information is encountered. These knowledge structures then inform behavior. Just as DNA carries the instructions for cellular activity, the neural pathways in our brain (i.e., knowledge structures) carry the instructions that guide our decision-making and, thus, determine our behavior. Hence, learning is the impetus for behavior change. 

The true essence of learning is understanding. Continuously engaging in the process of learning — the process of discovery — is the way we develop a deep understanding of the world around us. If we wish to walk through life knowledgeable and competent, we must go beyond rote memorization. We must utilize our enhanced cognitive capacities to reflect on the ideas we encounter and come to our own conclusions about their meaning, relevance, and usefulness to us as individuals. 

As I emerge from the depths of my thoughts, I’m left with an idea that I wrote in a previous post:

“We each come equipped with a brain, a powerful thinking tool that affords the capacity for understanding. What a gift we’ve been given. Let us not take it for granted.”

At the end of this reflection, I’m left with a slightly altered version of this idea, which is:

“When we are born, we are given the gift of life (to be), the gift of consciousness (to see), and the gift of cognition (to understand). It is truly a gift that we are here, on Earth, experiencing the beauty that is life, capable of observing and understanding the world around us. Let us not take these gifts for granted.”

This idea echoes in my consciousness and continues to grab my attention. Perhaps it is a creative seed, the beginning of something beautiful. Only time will tell.