‘Learn, unlearn, relearn.’

What do I mean?

This is part of a quote by the American futurist Alvin Toffler. Sadly he has since passed away, but his ideas live on.

The full version goes like this:

‘The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.’

So, what did he mean, and why am I bringing it up?

Well, here’s my take on it.

In an ever-changing world, we all need to be able to adapt quickly and put aside things that are no longer relevant. But at the same time, we also need to learn new skills, and quickly apply them in conjunction with our unique personalities and experience.

By doing this we can stay ahead of the curve, still be special and create things with real value.

Or, to paraphrase Bruce Lee, ‘Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own’.

In the last few years alone I have had to learn, unlearn and relearn among things; multiple video editing suites, design tools, online course platforms, and client capturing systems. The crazy thing is, ten years ago I didn't even know they existed!

Relevance is everything which needs you to focus on what’s important. Adapting quickly requires one to embrace change often otherwise they don’t adapt to new situations and the need for new skills very quickly. As adults we can learn many skills in real time learning so you learn what is relevant to your needs.