There are two ways to acquire new knowledge:
- We can learn it.
- We can discern it.
Learning is abstract. Theoretical. Something that we find other people – experts – to guide us through.
Whether they take the form of a book, a course, a third-party consultant, we’re clear on the relationship which exists between us. Student and teacher. We’re there to learn, and the insights they’ll provide are exactly what we need to get where we’re going.
Discerning, on the other hand… that’s a different kind of process.
Discernment doesn’t rely on an outside party to tell us what to do, or whether what we’re doing is right.
Instead, we’re leveraging an entirely new aproach. One where we take action, test our existing knowledge against the world, and see what we find on the other side.
When the dust settles, and we can see the results of our effort – what’s left? What can be gleaned from that experience?
Neither is perfect. Neither is “right”. Both are useful in the right context. But thinking that one can entirely replace the other is a dead end.
If we’ve been struggling with something for a while now, it’s easy to feel as if we don’t know enough to do any better.
Sometimes, that’s the case. And looking outside ourselves to attain this new knowledge might be the fastest path to getting back on track.
But it’s easy to place our hope in external authority when, in fact, everything we need to improve is right in front of us.
More information isn’t better.
A new approach isn’t better.
Cutting-edge approaches or novel solutions aren’t better.
Better is better.
The procrastination-fuelled search for the “guaranteed”, no-risk, obstacle-free path is a distraction from the process.
The most useful information we’ll ever gain is found from first-hand reflection on our lived experience.
Before we rush out to find answers, it’s worth asking:
What if we already have what we’re seeking?
What if the answer isn’t “learned”, but found along the way?
What if our final destination wasn’t a product of what we’ve learned, but of what’s discerned in the process of moving towards it?