Tag Archives: Active Learning

Here is how to maintain focus on Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning, learning about people and the world around me, has always been an important part of my growth. The discoveries I’ve made throughout my life of learning and curiosity have kept me young in spirit, and in mind.

Setting off on a journey of learning and discovery on the Double X sailboat in 2014.

It’s not only the product of a growth mindset, but also the simple idea that lifelong learning makes for a longer life. Our brain’s neuroplasticity will keep expanding as we age if we keep challenging ourselves. Learning pays us back in many ways.

Remaining in our comfort zone with simple brain tasks that won’t impact neuronal plasticity is easy. And, yes, it’s harder to learn new skills or pursue new ideas or education that challenges our long-term memory and high-level cognition. But it will map new pathways in our brain. I find it magical that intensive learning not only teaches you something new, but also improves your brain plasticity and health.

Staying young and improving neuroplasticity is also about maintaining focus. Knowing that we live in an “attention economy” where constant distraction has become a barrier for many people, focusing on fewer things is one way to be more effective. Because if you really think about it, you don’t necessarily need more time, you need more focus. So what you decide to commit yourself to is important.

Taking Healthy Risks

Committing to something often requires you to take a risk. And risk can be stressful even when it gets you out of your comfort zone and makes you stretch. In certain situations in our lives, I’ve discovered that it’s a bigger risk not to take one. Taking a healthy risk challenges our thinking by exposing us to new ideas and learning about different points of view.

And you might fail. But you shouldn’t be afraid of failure. Failing means you are trying and growing and stretching yourself further outside of your comfort zone. I’m not saying that success isn’t wonderful! But succeeding at something easy may not be as meaningful as failing at something hard. It may not give you the same opportunity for mental growth.

Here are a few ways to maintain your focus and keep expanding the neuroplasticity of your brain:

Find someone different from you and get to know them. Seeing something from another point of view helps occupy your mind with opposable ideas. It’s a key to empathy, expanding your world and making better decisions. You don’t necessarily have to agree with someone’s perspective to understand what’s motivating them. Someone who thinks differently from you might be the perfect complement.

Try learning a new language. There are so many wonderful tools available nowadays to help you learn to speak a new language. Understanding the nuances of languages, and the dialects that accompany them, gives you deeper knowledge of diverse cultures and appreciation for different ideas. Not only are you creating more neural pathways as you master pronunciation and conversation, but you can begin to have deeper interaction with the people around you.

 Learn how to play an instrument. Music is wonderful to listen to, but playing an instrument opens a whole new world. Find a music teacher and pick an instrument to learn that you love listening to. Learning how to play it will give you more appreciation for the music you hear every day.

And finally, as you continue learning and growing throughout your life, don’t forget to laugh!

Laughter and a positive mindset are the best form of prevention.

Cheers!

P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe to our RSS feed and have blog posts delivered right to your inbox.

How to Be A Mentor Who Matters

Practicing my golf swing with a golf swinger during my morning exercise routine. It’s a great example of active learning, a favorite technique of one of my mentors in business and life.
Practicing my golf swing with a golf swinger during my morning exercise routine. It’s a great example of active learning, a favorite technique of one of my mentors in business and life.

When I’m asked about what makes a good mentor to help others build a thriving business, I often think of the traditional method of teaching that surgeons use. It’s known as “Watch One, Do One, Teach One.” It’s really just a catchy phrase for a basic principle of adult learning, but it’s a good one to remember, especially if you want to be a mentor who matters.

Real learning is found here

Have you ever felt that you have an easier time learning something new when you are actively involved in the process – either mentally or physically – or when you have to explain it to someone else rather than when you simply watch someone else?

If so, your feeling is spot on.

Adult learning experts know people are more likely to learn (and remember) if their learning is “hands on” or if they need to explain it to someone else.

Want to learn to play golf? Don’t just watch, get out there and practice (and help others as you become better). Want to improve your nutrition knowledge? Don’t just read about it, eat more nutritious foods and teach others to do the same.

It’s really no different if you want to build a business in health and wellness. Yes, you can inspire others with your own healthy living, but you will be a better mentor when you teach others through active learning.

A special twist on active learning

One of my mentors, Dr. Alexander (“Alex”) Nichols, put his own special twist on this tried-and-true method of teaching. By doing so, he helped me build a solid scientific foundation and helped me appreciate the importance of living a life of purposeful work, yet still take time to play.

Most importantly, Alex inspired me to find my passion for health and wellness, a passion that continues to guide my life and career today.

Dr. Alexander Nichols. A pioneer in lipid research, a great teacher and an amazing mentor. (Photo/J Lipid Res. Nov  2015)
Dr. Alexander Nichols. A pioneer in lipid research, a great teacher and an amazing mentor. (Photo/J Lipid Res. Nov  2015)

The excitement of active learning

I first met Alex at UC Berkeley in the early 1960s when I was working on my doctorate. Alex was a top investigator for Dr. John Gofman, a respected medical physics professor. (I’ve written about Dr. Gofman and his powerful influence on my life in another post.

When I arrived at Berkeley, I was assigned to Alex’s lab as a research assistant. We were trying to figure out how to isolate and measure specific blood lipids and understand their role in heart disease.

Of course, today blood lipids like high LDL-cholesterol or low HDL-cholesterol are well known risk factors for artery-clogging heart disease. But back then, this was a big black box of unknowns with only the possibility of discovery.

Yet, if anyone was up for the challenge, it was Alex.

Alex had a big, well-equipped lab that housed six giant (and expensive) analytical ultracentrifuges. Plus, all six machines were devoted to isolating and researching blood lipoproteins. This was a big deal because it meant we could make rapid progress with our research.

You see, I came from Stanford where the entire school shared one single analytical ultracentrifuge. One. In order to use it, a researcher had to schedule time. Sounds easy enough, but there was a serious obstacle: You could only book one hour a day. Needless to say, it was frustrating.

So off I went to Berkeley where the medical physics researchers put my chemical engineering degree and knowledge of ultracentrifugation to good use. I was excited about the work and even more excited about the progress we could make armed with those six wonderful ultracentrifuges.

Three people gather around a computer to share information. People are more likely to learn (and remember) if their learning is “hands on” or if they need to explain it to someone else.
Three people gather around a computer to share information. People are more likely to learn (and remember) if their learning is “hands on” or if they need to explain it to someone else.

Building a solid scientific foundation

I spent a great amount of time working alongside Alex. I credit him with teaching me the scientific method – how to properly design studies, how to evaluate data correctly, how to write papers – and the whole scientific process.

He was an exceptional teacher, and a big fan of active learning. While most graduate students and research assistants just follow directions and do small things, I was able to coauthor three papers that were published in respected journals. To say I was lucky is an understatement; most graduate students never get that opportunity.

Teaching prevention and seeing real rewards

I credit my time with Alex with my ability to develop a deeper understanding that prevention, rather than drugs, is our best answer to most of the world’s health problems.

What really solidified this belief for me was watching patients get better. They were able to manage their blood lipids, shed excess weight and improve their over health, all by eating better. It was gratifying to know that I played a role, however small, in helping them reclaim a passion for living.

I was more convinced than ever: To live your best life, diet and lifestyle matter, and they matter in a big way. It’s a concept that is as true today as it was back then, arguably more so. Heart disease and stroke are still the world’s biggest killers and have been for the last 15 years, according to the World Health Organization. Yet, much of this tragedy could be prevented by embracing a healthy diet and lifestyle.

A person balances atop a rock on one foot as the sun sets on the horizon. Staying energized and inspired to achieve your goals is easier when you live your life in balance.
A person balances atop a rock on one foot as the sun sets on the horizon. Staying energized and inspired to achieve your goals is easier when you live your life in balance.

Experience work-play balance

Alex also made sure we experienced plenty of balance between work and play. Our research was tough work and we were serious about it, but we were just as serious about taking breaks.

Sure, if we had an important project going on in the lab, it was not unusual for us to stay with the project for 12 to 18 hours, even longer, to complete it. But it wasn’t unusual for us to head to the gym for a quick workout or squeeze in a game of volleyball during the workday.

Those breaks not only energized us, but also inspired many conversations about the majesty of science and how it might help the world to be a better place. 

Guiding my future

After five years at Berkeley (some of the best years of my academic life), I earned my PhD in biophysics in 1964. It was time to decide on my next step.

Thanks to Alex and his guidance, I began my lifelong journey to take the Nutrilite™ brand around the world and help people experience a passion for living that only optimal health can provide.  

Alex passed away a few years ago at the age of 90. I have no doubt over the years his mentorship influenced countless careers. I’ll be forever grateful that mine was one of them.

Imagine the good you can do by being a mentor who matters.

Cheers,

Dr. Sam Signature

 

 

P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe to our RSS feed and have blog posts delivered right to your inbox.