WHY UNLEARNING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN LEARNING?

Learning makes us better people and

there are a few who are lifelong
learners. Wondering how on earth
could someone be lifelong learners?
Is it even possible? Yes, it is, but you
need to learn to “unlearn.” Unlearn-
ing is the act of undoing something
that we learned earlier and is more
important than learning.

Have you noticed a jar of coffee beans kept in the perfume store and ever
wondered why it is kept? Is there something we can learn (rather unlearn)
from this jar? A handful of coffee beans is so important to sell expensive
bottles of perfumes. Confused of why and how…?

When we test perfumes, we get temporarily nose-blinded due to the over-

whelming smell. Thereafter, we would be unable to distinguish between the
fragrances. By smelling the coffee beans, we could bring back our sense of
smell. Due to coffee's strong fragrance, our brain forgets the fragrance of
the perfumes. We can now restart testing the perfumes and all this hap-
pens within in a minute. This is how we undergo the process of unlearning.

One should know what to unlearn by being aware of their thoughts, beliefs,
and habits. Examples of thoughts and habits that could be unlearnt include:
• “This is my destiny, and I can’t change it,”
• “Luck plays a major role in success, and I don’t have it,” and
• “There is no other way of doing this activity” etc.

Few more things to unlearn include:

• Past failures or disappointments
• Relationships which are (or were) not cordial
• People who have exploited or hurt
• Emotional entanglements
• Unwanted information or data

You need to figure out the things that are holding you back and unlearn
them. We have an amazing power to unlearn and move on to new things.
With ego getting predominant, we forget how to "let it go". Letting it go is
called unlearning and by doing so, creativity and productivity gets en-
hanced. Unlearning is important to enjoy numerous fragrances that come
along. It is not about forgetting but is letting unwanted or less important
things fade consciously.

LET'S LEARN TO UNLEARN. IN OUR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL LIVES.