Unlearn to Find Progress

Learning is the quickest way to evolve and achieve. Knowledge is power and learning is what puts everyone on the path to new discoveries and developments. Fall in love with learning and never be bored, never be satisfied with what you currently know, and always be like a sponge soaking up every bit of information you can. With infinite knowledge resources, learning is a click away, but some of the best progress is found when you “unlearn” what you already know.

By “unlearning” we are able to constantly assess and review where we individually are and relearn new information to become better versions of ourselves. A prime example of unlearning is with bad habits. When we try to break a bad habit, we are “unlearning” how we used to do something. We are breaking down our learned behavior and resetting it with something new. Through this reset and change, we find progress. When baseball players look to improve their swing, they need to remove the muscle memory of their old swing and follow countless repetitions with their new form to lock in the improvements. Unlearning takes time. Unlearning is not as easy as learning but allows the chance for near-immediate improvements. With any habit we look to change, it is a requirement we unlearn before we progress and learn a new habit.

Unlearning expands beyond habits or personal ways of doing things. Unlearning encompasses individual beliefs and allows us to understand and accept when we are wrong. With any divisive topic or anything where opinions are formed, we have natural beliefs. By unlearning, we are able to grow and change our beliefs based on new information. We do not need to stick to our old opinions or beliefs just because we receive new information and then change. We can accept when and where we are wrong and unlearn to relearn new ways of thinking and believing.

It is a perpetual cycle of unlearning that helps us individually progress to be the best individuals we can be. Becoming the best version of ourselves requires continuous editing to our beliefs and ways of doing things. This is what unlearning does. Unlearning lets us realize our mistakes, where we can be better, and then removes these blemishes in favor of new and improved habits and ideologies. Knowledge may be power, but the self-understanding and ability to change what is already known is just as important. By unlearning we find progress. Push to learn but never forget to unlearn.