Along the years I recall several times when I was struggling with the question “what do I know?” or “what am I capable of?”.

It turns out, that there is no real answer to these questions.

There is no one available to validate the knowledge we’ve assembled nor what we’ll be doing in the future.

There will always be a difference between how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us. On top of it, we all are subjective.

The question then becomes how we can add some objectivity to our subjectivity.

One way to do this is to take some time once a year to reflect on the learning done.

The most effective reflection will include three questions

• What did I learn?
• What have I been able to use it for?
• Where else can I use it next?

The learning we do is always aimed at a specific use this is valid for adults and children. Children often will not realize why they are learning something, sadly it is because they are rarely trained to recognize such a why. But, adults can choose why they are learning something and thus what they are learning.

It’s worth reflecting not only on the content of the learning but also on the effort spent learning. Over a few years, you might surprise yourself with a long list of hours spent with learning something new and sharing that learning.

Interestingly adding some objectivity makes the learning more available.