This seems like a simple concept right…but how often do people actually learn something new? I’m not talking about reading a few articles, or leaning a skill at work….. I’m talking about literally learning something completely new, something that you have never done before AND that uses a completely different side of your brain…
A year ago, my daughter decided she wanted to learn violin. We borrowed a violin from a family member, and proceeded to set up violin lessons with her. Now, violin is the instrument I love listening to. It makes me feel good inside to listen to it and I just love the sound… so I was very excited to hear that Abby wanted to play.
The first day of violin Practice was interesting. Abby had no idea how to hold the darn thing, let alone play. At the end of the practice, Abby was a little frustrated because she thought she would see instant results. The teacher was very proud of Abby and so was I. The teacher also mentioned, “it’s so great to see the parents in the classroom during lesson, the kids really need to have their parents involved and learn with them.”
Well, SHOOT, my plan was only to be there that one day, for that one practice….I literally was going to drop her off, head back to work, then pick her up after. I just thought it would be good to visit during the first practice.
On the ride home, Abby seemed really sad. I asked her what was going on and she said this, “you are too busy to come to my practice and learn with me…”. My heart sank….Abby wanted me to learn it with her, but in her mind I was ‘too busy’.
That night, I went onto Amazon and bought a $50 violin.
It was the cheapest violin ever, but Abby and I showed up that next week, 2 violins in tow and we were ready to rock and roll.
Now, we are a year into learning violin and it is still hard…BUT, what I love about the violin is that it uses a completely different side of my brain. For the last year, I have been exercising brain muscles that have never really been used. I didn’t grown up learning an instrument. I played sports…I ran….and lifted weights…. I tried playing guitar a few times but never learned to read notes. So this adventure Abby and I are on, is HARD, but I see the benefits daily with it.
As I look back on the last year and the exercising of both my left and right side brain, I have seen multiple benefits and growth. I am sharper, more productive and can think faster and more fluid on my feet. This last year has been a huge growth year for me and I feel that my mental growth is largely due to me increasing ‘grey matter’ in my brain.
There are multiple articles online about how learning music helps in multiple area’s and especially as as adult, but I don’t want you to just read those articles, I want you to try it out for yourself. You don’t have to learn the violin (I hear it is one of the hardest to learn). And I am not necessarily saying you should learn music. What I want to challenge you to do is to challenge yourself and learn something totally new and do it for an extended period of time…(not just one class, a series of classes).
Maybe try:
* Painting
* Landscaping
* Sewing/knitting
* Cooking
* New Language
* Change a tire/Mechanic work
* Horseback Riding
* Dancing
There are so many things you could try. The key is to try something completely different than what you are use to on a daily basis. Training the brain to area’s it hasn’t used in years or EVER, is the piece that people miss. Once you start learning something new, keep track of how your daily life improves, or your sharpness at your day job….
Now, a year into learning the violin, I definitely have made a lot of progress. It is still really hard and it takes a while for me to learn new songs and rhythms, but I see improvement, and so does Abby. And as it continues to work my brain, I continue to see all area’s of life get sharper.
As we move into 2020….now may be a good time to see if there are things you want to try for the new year. I’m excited to see how another year of violin affects my 36 year old brain….and maybe it will help me try even more new things as I get older….
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