Living with an Open Heart of Learning
“It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf.” — Walter Lippmann
Talented Canucks expert and Communications Director of Football BC, Daniel Fung, comments on how he lives out wisdom he received from a university professor. The heart of learning he describes is so relevant not only to my own career but to life as a whole.
One of words of wisdom that has always stood out for me came from one of my professors at Simon Fraser University who always used to say “The day you stop learning is the day they bury you six-feet deep.”
It’s a little cryptic, which I suppose is what makes it so memorable but I find it also rings true. As a writer I find there are often times when my process starts becoming repetitive because I’m either constantly dealing with the same topic matter or because I’m writing in a particular style, such as for press releases or fact sheets. Even though there are times when consistency is required in my line of work, I find it can be detrimental if writing starts becoming too formulaic. One way I try to guard against that is to constantly absorb and borrow from other writing styles by reading as often as I can. I like to read not only things that are connected to my line of work but anything from horoscopes to comic books to newspaper stories just to see what I find unique and attention-grabbing and to think about how I might be able to adopt it for my own purposes.
I think the same principle rings true with any line of work where it pays to constantly be observant and see how others are doing similar things to the way you are and even though they might not necessarily be directly adaptable to your particular job, you never know how it could one day be useful.
How do you bring creativity and freshness to your work?
Tags: daniel fung, gusto, heart of learning, living with gusto, living with gusto series
Adriene
Great insights, Samantha. I think you hit the nail on the head. I certainly consider myself a student of both of writing and life. There’s always something new to learn.
Samantha Bangayan
That’s the attitude, Adriene! =) And you’re so right, there are already so many domains of learning.
Penelope J
Gosh, Daniel’s words certainly resonate with me. I also learn from observation, and from everything I read. Many times a beautifully written piece or passage in a book will set me off on a wonderful writing journey of my own.
Samantha Bangayan
I love where all those writing journeys take us. =)
Vinny T
I find that returning to a task after not dealing with it for a while allows me to approach a particular subject from a new perspective and with a fresh outlook. I find this method particularly helpful when faced with the dreaded writer’s bloc
Samantha Bangayan
That’s true, though it’s tough for me to find that balance between being persistent and knowing when to leave something behind for a while. =)
Janine
Reading is a must as a writer, and I’m finding it even more useful in my day job/volunteering at the moment – gaining inspiration in new, innovative ways and thinking.
Samantha Bangayan
It’s funny, I never really connected reading and writing, but the more I read, the more ideas and even vocabulary I had for writing. =) Very cool how every ability we have can benefit us in different ways. =)