{"id":12378,"date":"2023-12-22T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/?p=12378"},"modified":"2023-12-22T09:54:32","modified_gmt":"2023-12-22T14:54:32","slug":"how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Be a Lifelong Learner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Learning isn\u2019t only something you do K through 12. Whether or not you\u2019re aware of it, you\u2019re always learning new things when you socialize, or when you\u2019re at work, or even when you\u2019re watching TV. This passive learning can enrich your life, but the results are so much greater when you get <em>intentional <\/em>about learning new things after your formal education is over.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Continued learning as an adult is fun because the curriculum is fully in your hands. You get to decide what you want to learn, how you want to learn, and with whom you want to learn. Regardless of the topic that interests you, the time you spend learning about it will boost your mood and your confidence. After all, knowledge is power, and you\u2019ll feel powerfully good with a new skill under your belt or a stronger mastery of your hobby.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lifelong learning benefits your cognitive abilities, helping you stay sharp over the years. And when you learn with other people, the effect is doubled, because budding friendships and a sense of community on their own are good for brain health. So check out the best ways to start an enjoyable education without the stress and grades, while maintaining that positive social aspect of group learning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/brett-jordan-34fc5V7pCoQ-unsplash-edited-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12380\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/brett-jordan-34fc5V7pCoQ-unsplash-edited-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/brett-jordan-34fc5V7pCoQ-unsplash-edited-560x315.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/brett-jordan-34fc5V7pCoQ-unsplash-edited-1120x630.jpg 1120w, https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/brett-jordan-34fc5V7pCoQ-unsplash-edited-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/brett-jordan-34fc5V7pCoQ-unsplash-edited-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/brett-jordan-34fc5V7pCoQ-unsplash-edited-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pick-a-subject-any-subject\">Pick a subject, any subject . . .&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no trick here\u2014you have truly limitless options for your continued learning experience. There are no wrong answers, so just follow your heart.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re excited to start your learning journey, but you\u2019re in need of a little inspiration when it comes to the exact subject you want to learn about, consider one (or more!) of these popular topics:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Languages \u2014 <\/strong>A new language skill is profoundly rewarding, with the possibility of opening doors to you in travel, business, entertainment, and good old human connection. Try out a free online language learning tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.duolingo.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Duolingo<\/a> if you\u2019re starting with the basics. If you have some familiarity with your target language already, a great way to get unstuck from that middle zone is to take lessons with real native speakers. You can learn with people all over the world using a platform like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.italki.com\/dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">italki<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Gardening \u2014 <\/strong>It\u2019s never too late to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/green-thumb-summer-how-and-why-you-should-start-gardening\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">turn your thumb green<\/a>. Gardening and\/or maintaining houseplants is a great hobby for both casual learners and people who want to go really in depth. The plant world is full of magic and mystery, and exploring it is one of the very best ways to develop a deeper bond with nature.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Cooking \u2014 <\/strong>It\u2019s not only practical (because you\u2019ll save money and eat healthier), it\u2019s also a creative expression. Cooking something special for someone you love, or even just treating yourself to a home-cooked meal, is one of the perfect examples of a mindful experience. When you prepare your own food, you\u2019re more in tune with the aromas, textures, colors, and flavors. Check out these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/six-tips-for-becoming-a-better-home-cook\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">quick tips for becoming a better home cook<\/a>, then take your cooking skills in any tasty direction!&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Hiking \u2014 <\/strong>Outdoor skills can take you all around the world, or even give you a new appreciation for the natural beauty in your local area. Hiking is a great thing to learn about because you can pick up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/a-simple-guide-for-new-hikers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">beginner hiking skills<\/a> really quickly, and do most hikes. But for the super adventurous, advanced hiking skills begin to overlap with other subjects like camping and climbing.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-surround-yourself-with-the-right-resources\">Surround yourself with the right resources&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve chosen a subject and you\u2019re ready to dive in, you can set yourself up for success by finding good learning materials. What makes a book or a class on your subject <em>good <\/em>is not just its quality, but its fit for you. If you\u2019re a beginner pianist, you don\u2019t want to start by spending your money on a book of Chopin\u2019s Nocturnes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try to be open and honest with yourself about your current skill level, and go forward accordingly. When in doubt, err on the side of easier learning materials, even if you already have some familiarity with your subject. It\u2019ll be much more rewarding to blast through a beginner workshop than to struggle in an advanced seminar.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-take-the-leap-with-fellow-lovers-of-learning\">Take the leap with fellow lovers of learning&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t let lack of experience hold you back\u2014there are plenty of people with a similar skill set who are looking to improve themselves too. Progress in a group setting comes more quickly, because people learn not only from their books and instructors, but from one another. Plus, it\u2019s easier to motivate yourself to keep learning when there\u2019s a fun social component in the mix.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meetup has tons of groups that can help you learn, from language communities like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/nycrussian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The New York City Russian Language Meetup Group<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/french-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The San Diego French Language Meetup Group<\/a> to more niche interest groups like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/houstoncrochet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Houston Crochet\/Knit Meetup<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/nashville-stoics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nashville Stoics<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t find the right community in your area, you can easily <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/lp\/how-to-group-start\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">create your own Meetup group<\/a> and inspire others to join you on your learning journey.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"post-excerpt\"><p>Education shouldn\u2019t end just because you\u2019re not a formal student anymore. Take learning into your own hands and enrich your life with new knowledge.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":12381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Be a Lifelong Learner - Meetup Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Be a Lifelong Learner - Meetup Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Education shouldn\u2019t end just because you\u2019re not a formal student anymore. Take learning into your own hands and enrich your life with new knowledge.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Meetup Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-22T13:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-22T14:54:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/lifelong-learner_meetup-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meetup Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Meetup Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Meetup Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c0db661585f6f7c458bb56961918a914\"},\"headline\":\"How to Be a Lifelong Learner\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-22T13:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-22T14:54:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/\"},\"wordCount\":886,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/\",\"name\":\"How to Be a Lifelong Learner - Meetup Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-22T13:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-22T14:54:32+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Be a Lifelong Learner\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Meetup Blog\",\"description\":\"Community Matters\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Meetup\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/meetup-logo-swarm.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/meetup-logo-swarm.png\",\"width\":130,\"height\":124,\"caption\":\"Meetup\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c0db661585f6f7c458bb56961918a914\",\"name\":\"Meetup Team\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9aba46ee9b739a3dabdad003540a60bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9aba46ee9b739a3dabdad003540a60bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Meetup Team\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Be a Lifelong Learner - Meetup Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Be a Lifelong Learner - Meetup Blog","og_description":"Education shouldn\u2019t end just because you\u2019re not a formal student anymore. Take learning into your own hands and enrich your life with new knowledge.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/","og_site_name":"Meetup Blog","article_published_time":"2023-12-22T13:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-22T14:54:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1440,"url":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/lifelong-learner_meetup-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Meetup Team","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Meetup Team","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/"},"author":{"name":"Meetup Team","@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c0db661585f6f7c458bb56961918a914"},"headline":"How to Be a Lifelong Learner","datePublished":"2023-12-22T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-22T14:54:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/"},"wordCount":886,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/","url":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/","name":"How to Be a Lifelong Learner - Meetup Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-12-22T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-22T14:54:32+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-lifelong-learner\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Be a Lifelong Learner"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/","name":"Meetup Blog","description":"Community Matters","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Meetup","url":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/meetup-logo-swarm.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/meetup-logo-swarm.png","width":130,"height":124,"caption":"Meetup"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c0db661585f6f7c458bb56961918a914","name":"Meetup Team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9aba46ee9b739a3dabdad003540a60bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9aba46ee9b739a3dabdad003540a60bc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Meetup Team"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12378"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12378"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18641,"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12378\/revisions\/18641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}