Monthly Immersion

The academic world never really suited me. I made pretty good grades (except for those five consecutive math exams I failed in high school) and completed undergraduate and Maser's degrees; but I always found the kind of learning required to be outside my natural process.I do love learning. Working my mind around and through new ideas and problem solving gives me a lot of joy. I'm usually working through some kind of personal development plan, and I keep toying with the idea of further education.The thing is, real life gets in the way of the kind of study and reflection that I would prefer to do. I'm grateful for the way my formal education has trained me to think and approach information. I just can't maintain that approach in the midst of work, family, church, volunteering, and all the other things that make up my life.So here are a couple things I try to do:-I use social media to try to quickly spot interesting ideas worth a quick scan-I read blog posts and online articles to get a basic perspective on what intrigues me-I post what I like back to social media to see what it sparks from others-If it seems worthwhile I dive deeper by buying books (using kindle editions to save money and paper)-To ensure I actually do the reading I give myself a month to get a decent and useful understanding of a thinker or concept-I try to capture the basics of my learning and make them available to othersSo, the last week or so I've heard a lot about Brene Brown, a researcher and popular TED speaker. I saw enough on facebook and twitter that I read and reposted an article, which led to me buying a couple books. Others have recommended some online videos for me to watch and I'll plan to write a post about her work by the end of September.Who or what are you studying and what's your approach?