I’m reading a fascinating book, Unsafe Thinking by Jonah Sachs.
The book advocates for us all to learn how to be nimble and bold. One thing that may hold us back is our existing knowledge.
While it’s common sense that the more you know, the more competent you become, there is a point where knowing more about a topic may just stultify our thinking. That when we encounter new situations, we are more likely to try and fit them into things we already know, than to look for novel solutions, as in the chart below:
As we learn more, we become more competent, but at some point we become entrenched, and our ability to come up with novel solutions starts decreasing.
But, the more often we expose ourselves to situations where we have no skills, the better we are able to maintain our problem solving and creative abilities. You become more competent in a wide variety of situations when you try something that makes you feel uncomfortable and exposed.
So take some time to learn a new language, a new sport, or a new dance.
And, there's an exciting set of upcoming topics on Edchat Interactive, starting with two in August. Check them out! And participate.