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A lot of people come out in a rash when they hear the word ‘theory’.
Theory is boring isn’t it? We want the fun, hands on, useful practical stuff. What you may not consider though is that the practical experience came before the theory (and will come again if we apply it). The theory, usually, is developed from noticing cause and effect over time. The theory is the learnable set of rules or observations that we can translate into action and results again. Well…that’s the theory.
The big problem with theory these days is that it becomes out of date faster than ever. Often, it no longer applies. Things change so fast that we’re forever playing on a different playing field. Or it applies to some people and not others.
So what can we do about it?
1. Learn to recognise the theory or laws or rules that are timeless first of all. Even then, be careful.
2. Stop learning new theory and instead upgrade your learning ability. Learn how to learn fast. It’s a learnable skill. You’ll need it moving ahead. You’ll be forced to do it sooner or later, so you might as well cash in on it now and build your skill.
3. Purposefully question everything you learn and ask yourself if it’s up to date and resonates well with you, whilst also being accurate and credible. A hard one to answer sometimes, but do your best. Definitely ask yourself these questions. People can deliver up to date theory now online faster than ever before. You can learn from someone’s actions that they took just hours or even minutes ago. We’re all pulling together these days and sharing our own personal experiences. It’s there if you look for it and connect to the right people.
4. Remember that there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
5. Finally, my advice is track down 2 or 3 resources that are trustworthy, useful, enjoyable to learn from and help you keep up to date in your field or work. They’re your ‘heartbeat’ in your work from now on.
Follow those steps and your ‘rash’ will disappear.
