What have you learned lately?

I come from a long line of lifelong learners. I can remember my maternal grandmother telling me that she was learning how to interview people and write articles since she had agreed to be in charge of the newsletter for her condo association. She had to fit this in between her piano lessons and her yoga.
My grandmother also read the NY Times cover to cover each morning and clipped articles of interest to send to her various children and grandchildren across the country. My parents have followed suit and are both voracious readers and news watchers and always eager to learn new things.
I think that continuing to learn as we age is one of the big secrets of life (though its not really a secret)!
I recently attended my very first ZUMBA class and while it was strenuous exercise, it was also exhilarating to do something that I had never done before.
Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending the 4th annual UP Experience. Houstonian husband/wife team Sheryl & Ernie Rapp started UP to expose Houstonians to cutting edge thinkers and innovators from all over the country. The day includes 16 speakers from many different disciplines each speaking for 20 minutes and then providing an opportunity for questions in small breakaway groups. The speakers this year ranged from a young energetic tech guru to a food network personality with a movie-worthy life story to a scientist on the forefront of the field of regenerative medicine.
One of the most interesting things about UP is that sometimes the speakers whom you are least excited about turn out to be the most memorable.
I was fortunate to be able to attend UP two years ago, and I was impressed by the caliber and diversity of speakers. This year's group did not disappoint.  The education speaker this year was a young man named  Sal Kahn who began tutoring his cousins in algebra while he worked for a hedge fund. As his tutoring grew through the power of "YouTube," he realized that there was a demand for his high energy and specified instruction teaching style. Today, his Khan Academy distributes 2100 free educational videos and tutorials in subjects ranging from math to history. So far, the Academy's website has had over 54 million views and they are nowhere near stopping. With the help of  some major philanthropic supporters, Kahn is hoping to lead the movement for the democratization of education.
One of my favorite speakers this year was bestselling author Daniel Pink. Pink uses his background in behavioral science to take a new, and often profoundly different, look at human motivation. His latest book, Drive, looks at the fallacy behind the old "carrot and stick" method of motivating others. According to Pink's work, what truly motivates us is the opportunity to "realize our fullest potential." Pink shared stories with us about innovative programs at cutting edge companies which encouraged employees to pursue the things that they were passionate about. At Google, they call it "20% Time," and at a smaller company he mentioned, they call it "Fedex Days," because people are expected to play around with an idea and then present something the next day (like Fedex must deliver something overnight!).
I did not know that this existed in corporate America, but I left wishing it could exist in the world of private school education where I spend my days. How lovely to be given carte blanche for a small part of one's work week in order to explore something that one was intrinsically drawn to. I then fantasized even further about a school where students were given free reign one day a week to explore their passions. Pink explained that failure is an inherent part of this plan. "Ninety percent of the "free" work won't pan out," he explained, "but that doesn't matter."  Some of Google's best initiatives came from their "20% Time" and two recent Noble Prize winners in Physics made their revolutionary discovery during the "free" time at their lab.
I learned a little about a lot of different things at the Up Experience, but the most important thing I learned was how exciting it is to learn something new. So, I challenge you blog readers: This week try a new exercise class, pick up a new novel, sign up for language lessons, learn to make paella, read an article on the internet about a topic you know very little about. Stretch your brain, and it will take you to places you might never have imagined!