The Art of Unlearning: Why the Wisdom We Hold Might Be Holding Us Back

Our world today is consumed with accumulating things – whether that’s wealth, credentials, status or even knowledge itself. Since early schooling, we’ve been taught that ‘more’ is always better and progress comes from gathering as many facts as possible within ourselves.

But what if there’s another way of growing? A method where shedding certain things instead of hoarding them is how we reach enlightenment. Philosophy has always wrestled with the boundaries of human knowledge and the greatest example of this is perhaps that of the ancient philosopher Socrates who claimed he was the wisest man in his city (Athens) due to knowing one key piece of information: He knew nothing at all!

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He knew that once you think you know all the answers your mind becomes closed off. All those ideas we pick up throughout our life – both consciously and subconsciously - about what success looks like, how society should function, what our place in the universe is or even how we should feel emotionally, start locking down the doors to experiencing life differently. Unlearning these ideas isn’t a case of having amnesia on everything that occurred prior to now but more about being able to see through all those invisible cages we put around ourselves and questioning their authenticity.

Now, take a moment to reflect on how you define success.

Many are brought-up with certain notions that success means having certain things - be it money or a certain position in life or even receiving applause from society. But no matter what they strive for, most end up feeling empty when they reach their goals.

It’s only after taking steps back from this definition of success that people start to understand what success really means for themselves — maybe peace of mind, meaningful relationships, creative freedom or happiness every day.

This concept also applies to our lives. Our identities are filled with emotional patterns and defenses developed through life’s challenges and experiences. We convince ourselves of things such as:

• “I’m not good at this,”

• “People can’t be trusted,” or

• “Failure is shameful.”

These beliefs have become our reality. However, when we question these beliefs and thoughts, we begin to see them for what they are – merely mental habits.

The process of learning can be compared to adding a new layer on top of your existing layers. This makes learning relatively easy.

But what about unlearning? Because it’s removing a layer. Which means you get all these feelings about being exposed, uncomfortable, etc. And then you’re forced to realize that perhaps you have been wrong about some stuff…that there are missing elements in your world view…or you have spent years working on things which are no longer effective for you…

Adapting to changes in your environment is critical to success in today's fast-paced world. If we’re unable to move forward easily, we may miss opportunities presented before us. That doesn’t mean being open-minded alone should dictate our actions without guidance from real experts – sometimes there are reasons why an approach isn't working well enough given current circumstances so long term planning must always play into short-term decision-making processes too.

"The illiterate of the 21st Century won’t be those who cannot read and write...but rather those who cannot learn, unlearn, & relearn."

— Alvin Toffler

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Let’s talk about living an authentically deep life.

The first step is doing some periodic mental auditing — clearing out those dusty old pages where you used to hold on to beliefs that are now outdated. To open up space for new, powerful insights.

It takes courage to challenge your own sense of self and embrace this uncomfortable journey.

There are moments where we have to let go of feeling that we have all the answers for us to grow personally at an amazing level.

Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do for ourselves is let go!