You Are Never Too Old To Learn

You are never too old to learn. Learning is a part of the human condition. Do not buy into the old saying that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". It is a lie. No matter what our age, if we are willing to put the effort we can learn. Not only that, learning new things keeps our minds active and our bodies younger. Don't give up. Keep learning.

Older adults may simply learn things differently than when they were children. After all, the longer we live, the more information we collect along the way. We learn to process information differently. A child is like an empty pitcher waiting to be filled. An adult already has information, experiences and life expectations already in their pitcher. Learning for them adds to what is already there.

I have met many people many years my senior over the years. The ones who are still learning and doing things are much younger than those who have stopped trying to learn and grow. Just like we need to exercise our bodies, we also need to exercise our minds.

So, what can you do? Or perhaps the question is what can't you do. The list is wide, so I am going to share a few of my favorite ones.

1.  Go to http://freerice.com/. It is a website that allows you to learn and earn grains of rice to be given to the poorer countries of the world. It has six categories with two areas in each. The six categories are math, English (vocabulary and grammar), geography, chemistry, languages (German, Spanish, French, Italian) and Humanities (Literature, Famous Paintings). It is multiple choice with four possible answers. Every correct answer earns you 10 grains of rice that go to an area of need. So far this year players have earned 6,726,923,450 grains of rice. Wow.

2.  Read a good book and share it with your friends. You can join a book club or even start one.

3.  Take a class. If you can't take a class at a local adult school, college, and local organization, you can take one on your computer. I have recently learned about Great Courses at http://thegreatcourses.com/. You can order DVDs, CD's or just get them on line. Every month they have great sales. The courses are taught by university professors, and best of all there are no exams. The hardest part is determining which one you are going to take first.

4.  Find something that you have always been interested in and start researching. The World Wide Web has so much information that it is like going to the Library of Congress and trying to ready every book. Impossible, but what fun in the trying.

5.  Learn to speak a new language. We are truly becoming a world community. Especially in the United States, there are so many cultures. Make a friend who speaks another language and the two of you can teach each other. Or you can take one of the many classes that are offered. After that, maybe you can travel to a country where they speak the language.

6.  Play word games. Do crossword or Sudoku puzzles. Play cards with friends. Play scrabble on line.

7. Learn a new hobby. Find one that you have a passion for. Find something that you can do successfully.

8. Volunteer. Take those skills that you have developed over the years and find someplace or someone which what to share them. You'll be glad you did.

No matter what you decide to do, take a moment today and learn something new. It will keep you younger longer. I am going to earn a few grains of rice now. See you next time.

Thank you for reading this. If you have any comments, or questions, please let me know.