Learning - as an art...!

All of us have been learners since childhood. We have either been learning things with the help of someone or by ourselves. We, thus, have all the requisite skills to learn efficiently, by birth. So, the word "learning" by itself should not make us afraid or nervous. We have been learning tremendously from a very young age though we may not have been able to understand and interpret everything around us, as kids.
 

Irrespective of whether we are interested or not, we are joined in a school by our parents. At such a young age, our interest doesn't really count. Schooling is supposed to be a mandatory aspect of our academic life. But, it is important to ensure that the ultimate aim of learning is achieved. As we attend our classes regularly at school we unknowingly start learning many things. In fact, an entire day spent at school with many other fellow students itself is an experience and there cannot be a better teacher, whose lessons can be retained for life, than our own experiences.
 

These days, the focus of learning is getting shifted towards the necessity for scoring good marks which we feel may facilitate in enrolling ourselves for good courses at reputed institutions. Students therefore, have started looking for shortcuts to score marks. If thought peacefully for a while, we will realize that if we learn everything in the right way, we will not have to worry about our marks. We should focus on learning and marks will definitely follow.
 

The right way to learn anything we want to, is to firstly develop interest in it. If we don't develop that interest in ourselves, there is no use of learning. Learning is a voluntary action. Even as a child we learn only because of the interest and curiosity that is within us. If we have the same interest and curiosity alive in us forever, then we can keep learning throughout our lives. Secondly, we must aware about the technicalities of learning. If it is something related to academics, then it may involve interactive, audio-visual mode of learning so that whatever we learn immediately gets registered in our mind and we may not have to read everything again. Lastly, our learning should also involve writing, as organizing our thought-process effectively is also essential.
 

Learning is therefore an art of which we are all masters by birth. But, the cache is to learn the right way. There may be many ways of learning effectively. It is our job to customize our way of learning as per our need and energy levels. The only prerequisite for learning is have a desire to learn and become knowledgeable in life.     

                             

Being optimistic...!

We come across various kinds of situations in our everyday life. Some may have a positive impact on us, giving us a lot of happiness and boosting our confidence levels. While, we also encounter situations which make us feel humiliated or embarrassed. But life must go on. We cannot have a rewind and replay button in life. With the passing time, we must come out of the situation we are in and should move on in life.
 

We feel very happy and pleased with ourselves when someone recognizes our achievements and applauds us for it but we usually feel low when someone mocks at us for not being able to achieve something that we wanted to. This is a human tendency but if we start observing other living creatures around us, for instance, a dog, it too will react in a similar manner. When you are friendly with it, it will wag its tail and may also start licking and playing with you. But, if you try to harm it or scare it away, it may try to attack you.
 

So, if feeling low and demotivated at times and getting angry on ourselves for not being able to fulfill our dreams, is quite normal, then, how do we deal with it in order to make ourselves something extraordinary and unique in life? The best answer to this would be to become an optimist, which surely is not easy but it's not impossible either.
 

The first step in this process would be to not expect anything from anyone or from life in general because our expectation will also be the cause for our pain. Stop expecting people to praise you or even to be friendly with you. Always bear in mind that you are a normal human being who has come to live on this planet with a purpose and shall leave once the purpose or mission is accomplished. So focus on achieving your goal in life and don't get disturbed by the actions of others.
 

The next step would be to find happiness in the things you already possess. You may have a supportive family. You may have several good qualities which many people may not possess or even think of possessing. So, always look for and be happy with all the positive aspects that life has offered to you. This will bring you more closer towards being an optimist.
 

The final step, according to me, would be to look positively at failures as well. Everything that happens to us is for our good. The negatives or challenges that we face are only to help us in accomplishing the mission of our life. We really do not know what life has in store for us. So, the best decision would be to accept life as it comes.
 

Being an optimist, would therefore allow our minds to be peaceful, helping us remain happy throughout our lives.

It's good to be an ambivert!...

An extrovert is one who is outgoing and expresses one's views freely and confidently. Similarly, an introvert is one who is extremely shy and finds it difficult to mingle with people. One is referred to as an ambivert if one maintains a balance between the qualities of an extrovert and an introvert.
                         

Usually, it is believed that you will get a lot of happiness in return if you are an extrovert since you will be able to interact and socialize with a lot of people from various backgrounds. If you feel that you have been an extrovert since childhood and that you are comfortable in dealing different kinds of people, or if you are someone who has been wanting to be an extrovert, it is important to bear two important points in mind i.e. you must always think well before you reveal something to someone and you must be conscious about what you are saying and whether he/she is the right person to listen to you. If you are aware and careful about these two important aspects, then being an extrovert, will definitely help you in excelling in your life.
 

If you are an introvert, there is nothing to feel bad about it. You may not want to mingle with everyone but you must always try to improve your way of expressing your views so that you do not have to cut a sorry figure if you are asked to express your ideas in front of your friends or colleagues. Your communication skills will play a vital role in helping you excel in such a situation. You must therefore ensure that you are proficient in your regional language as well as in English.

I personally feel that wanting to be an ambivert would be the best option. But you must be capable of selecting the person with whom you will be able to share your views and thoughts without any hesitation and you must keep an arm's length from people who you feel are not worth discussing your thoughts with. Sometimes people may try to take advantage of your calmness, it is then that you should bring out the qualities of an extrovert that is within you and show them their place. At times, your silence will help you in dealing with people who may try to irritate you with their mocking commentary which is where your skills of possessing the qualities of an introvert would help.

It is thus good to strike a balance between being an introvert and an extrovert by being an ambivert in life, if you are aware and conscious about the appropriate time for you to speak and express your views. But, you must not forget to keep calm as well!

Importance of possessing good communication skills...

Each one of us is required to possess certain important skills to communicate effectively with everyone around us. These skills include- possessing a strong command over the language in which we want to communicate, being fluent and confident while speaking and using appropriate tone and body language while expressing our views and ideas.

In order to excel in life, it is important to possess good English speaking skills. At every stage in life, from a class activity at school or college to organizing important meetings or events, it is our communication skills that is going to make us successful in accomplishing the goals of our lives. Possessing good English communication skills is important to boost our confidence levels and also to make a mark for ourselves in the society. If you are someone who has been studying English as an important language since childhood, you would need to put in little efforts to refine your language and improve yourself further. But, if you are someone who hasn't been studying English or has studied in a school or college where regional languages are given more preference when compared to English, you are required to put in a greater amount of efforts with a greater determination and will power. Below are certain tips that you could follow...


1. Start thinking in English. We usually feel comfortable thinking in our mother-tongue and then we translate it into English while speaking or conversing. This is a longer and a more time-consuming process. Instead, thinking in English is a very efficient way of improving our language.


2. Try reading online articles from various genres. This will make your job interesting.


3. Writing something regularly in English. This is to improve your written communication skills. Remember to use formal English while writing as it is essential to practice things in the right manner from the beginning itself.


4. Speaking as much as possible in English. This can be practiced with someone who is already good at English and has the potential to provide you with a valuable feedback.


5. Listening to good English speakers will also help. Your mind will keep registering important phrases that you may grasp while listening to someone speaking correctly, by using apt words.

According to me, no one is a born genius. It is consistent practice and determination that makes one attain a certain level of perfection in life. Likewise, if we keep trying to improve our communication skills with perseverance, we will certainly be able to become a good orator.