I LOVE to LEARN

I love learning from a room full of incredibly smart people!   Today I was able to attend a meeting that was put together by Leavitt Partners (founded by former HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt, also the former Governor of Utah).  Leavitt Partners has formed a group called Health Intelligence Partners, which is a collaborative panel of thought leaders from all walks of the healthcare spectrum, brought together to discuss important issues in healthcare today as well as future trends and ideas for solutions to the incredibly complex problems we face.  Involved in the meeting were leaders from health insurance companies, medical providers, technology companies, and government leaders.  It was great because the group was small enough to keep a controlled discussion, but big enough to have good representation from the different sectors of the industry.

It was a fabulous experience to sit in the room with a group of people who were strong and independent, and who had diverse backgrounds and completely unique perspectives on healthcare.  It was really quite exceptional to sit back and watch as each person shared their views from their different angles and then to see the ideas flow from the discussion. I learned a lot today from the people I was able to meet with, and it was a really great experience.

As I sat in the meeting I was thinking to myself how we don’t do enough of those types of discussions.  Discussions with a group of diverse people, from different backgrounds, that can just sit in a room and talk openly about how we view a topic.  The discussions are the most interesting when you are not trying to necessarily come to an answer, but rather, you are simply sharing information and experiences that have led you to hold the views you hold on a subject.  It’s nice because there isn’t a right or a wrong to the discussion, just the sharing of information in order to get your wheels turning.

What I was reminded of most today was the fact that I LOVE TO LEARN.  I really do.  I absolutely love it when I can learn new things, or explore new topics, or broaden my horizons, or see things in a new light because I have more facts to help form my views.  There is something so energizing about gaining intelligence!  I loved being reminded of that today!  It’s so easy to get caught up in the “norm” of just doing the day-to-day, and the problem with that is that it keeps your mind from expanding and learning new things or exploring new ideas.   In fact, I have come to recognize that the day-to-day routine is a complete creativity suck!  And it MUST BE STOPPED!  And so I have decided that I will be committing a dedicated amount of time every week that I will use to learn something new – so I will spend that time either reading a great motivational book, or having a group discussion with a room of incredibly smart and diverse people, or learning a new skill  – the bottom line is that I will dedicate that time to learning!   And I would challenge all of you reading this to make that same commitment to learn something new each week as well.  And then we can all hang out together and share our new found intelligence with one another and that will make us even smarter! 🙂  That is GENIUS!!

Have a great Thursday all you smart and wonderful people!

~Amy

6 Comments

  • Chris Hamatake says:

    Your timing with this post is almost eerie. Literally two days ago I was listening to a podcast about writing while I was driving home from work. The guest host said that all writing utilizes the same set of fundamental skills, so he tries to write about a different topic/theme every day in order to strengthen his writing.

    I have to write almost every day of my life, but I would love to be better at it. So I started a writing blog and decided to write on a different theme at least once a week.
    Great timing on your blog post!

  • Shantel Holdaway says:

    I loved your story today. I am such a huge fan of Learning new things. I loved school just for the fact that every day I learned something new. I am now a mother and my daughter has just started school. I love the hour we spend together each night when I get to see her learning. Her eyes light up and she gets so excited when she understands something. Learning is truely a special gift that I am glad to have.

  • Steph Featherstone says:

    I understand loving to learn! When I graduated from high school i took a year off before heading off to college but I took a job as a teacher in an after school progam and I learned something new every day! But after graduating from college and getting a steady job I have missed going to class and learning new things so much! I will have to set aside some time of my own to learn something new. Thanks for all of your awesome posts!

  • Elder Anderson says:

    Amen! I’ve made it a goal in life to learn something new from every person I have the opportunity to meet and befriend, and that’s because of your example to me. Ever since the beginning of my mission I’ve tried to learn as many talents as I can from the multiple and varied people I interact with on a day to day basis, and not only has my knowledge and abilities increased, but I’ve found I have a greater love for the people I’m learning from. Thank you for always teaching me to never stop learning, and for giving me that great desire to ever increase my knowledge. Love you Mom! You’re doing great work:)

  • Connie Houskeeper says:

    Tears, and Amen!

  • Mikinsie Clark says:

    We have learned so much from YOU Amy!

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