[Read time: 2:30]

"I don't know if I can trusty myself. It suddenly looks see easy. How can it be this simple? How could I not have seen this before? How can this be happening?"

That's what Matt said today in our writing class while we were doing a tear-down of an article that's been loved by many.

Chuckling, I had two concurrent thoughts going through my head. One I shared aloud with Matt (I'm sure you can guess which):

Thought #1:

• Lucky duck! I wish it was coming to me like that. (Yes, I admit it, there was some envy.)

Thought #2:

• You've been doing the work, Matt! Consistently and steadily, you've been doing the work...Learning is like this sometimes.

It's so often like that with deep learning, isn't it?

Not the superficial type like learning random bits of info with a google search, or imitating some movement a fitness, yoga or other instructor demonstrates.

Not even the the slightly less superficial type like learning some principles from reading a book or taking a course.

Those sudden leaps of insight, or that dawning that you just get it, or can do something without thinking anymore. It just clicks.

Deep learning takes time.

You have to be willing to hang out in the land of the not-knowing for an indeterminate amount of time.

This year-long course I'm just over half way through has been...

One of the most challenging things I've undertaken in a long time.

My beliefs about myself as a writer? Not so good.

My skills as a writer? Not so good.

My history as a writer? Not so good.

I have to remind myself over and over again about those very things that made me respond to Matt's comments the way I did...

...the do the work and live in the land of not-knowing part (not the envy part 😉).

I get to practice everything I've learned about learning through my Feldenkrais® experiences every damn day while learning how to write better articles.

It doesn't matter that I can grok the principles I'm being shown.

Implementation is challenging! Internalizing and making learning your own takes time and energy.

Happily, there are things that make living in 'land of not-knowing' more enticing and more fruitful.

Matt just provided more proof that the understanding, the knowledge-- dare I say the embodied wisdom that emerges from such places is worth untold riches.

No list of principles, no strategic plan, no template, no hack, no shortcut... nothing can can make us skillfully implement whatever it is we want to learn better than immersing immersing oursevles in the process of learning.

And to my mind, on so many levels, learning is a creative act.

What are you learning these days?

What would you like to learn?

I'd love to hear what you're up to. Just hit reply.

Cheers,

Gisele