There are some amazing ways to broaden your horizons and I'm a big believer in learning breeding learning. Wow, that's such a teacher thing to say but before you start scrolling for another article please bear with me. I don't know about you but I love learning and often find that one thing always leads onto another. I find myself reading one thing which mentions something, which then leads me onto another thing that I want to find out about. It's a never ending learning journey (yeah, I was a bit of a geek at school and I suppose I still am!) But for all those people who are looking for ways to broaden your horizons, here are some of my indulgences.
This is one of the best ways to broaden your horizons. I love reading and encourage my students to do more of it. I am sometimes astounding by how little some of my students read (sorry, another teacher thing to say...) Reading takes you to so many different place and teaches you so many things. It can take you to the past, the present and throw you right into a fictional future too. Amazing. And with the advent of the audible book, those who learn better by listening can take advantage of millions of books by closing their eyes, sitting back and just listening.
I love watching TED talks and frequently use them as a teaching resource too. They are great and I try and watch one TED talk a day. I know, I'm so rock and roll! But with so many inspirational thinkers sharing their ideas with the rest if the world, it's a simple and effective way to broaden your horizons and plant a thought seed in a matter of minutes.
Learning a language is another great way to broaden your horizons. When you're learning another language, you also learn about another culture and become immersed in the history of the country and the people. There are so many benefits of bilingualism too. Studies have shown that through learning another language, you can become smarter, more adept at multitasking, stave off dementia and even improve your memory. Time to order that Mandarin language learning software methinks!
Learning a musical instrument is another great way to help you broaden your horizons. According to research, learning to play a musical instrument can increase your IQ by seven points. And it's never too late. Studies conducting with people as old as 65 showed a significant improvement in cognitive ability after just five months of learning a new instrument. It can also help with the learning of another language. Learning a new instrument will also mean that you'll be able to mix and mingle with like-minded people who share the same musical interest, so it's a great way to broaden your social horizons too.
Learning a craft is another great way to expand your mind. Often, crafts and hobbies involve learning with other people, which in itself is another great way of broadening your horizons by meeting new people. If you begin to get passionate about a craft, chances are you will want to learn more about it, for example, where it originated from and how it has developed through the years.
Reading newspapers can really expand your mind too. Depending on where you are of course, there can be a few to choose from to get your daily dose of news from around the world or locally.
This is my all time favorite way to expand and broaden my horizons. I love traveling. Seeing new places, learning about new cultures, meeting different people - it's all so exciting and interesting. And the wonderful thing is, there are so many places out there I would love to visit that it should keep me occupied for a number of years!
These are just a few ways to broaden your horizons and expand that marvelous mind. What types of things do you do to help expand your mind? Is anyone else out there a fan of any of the above?
Sources: telegraph.co.uk