Learning by Doing

Seventeen and a half years of my life were spent sitting at a desk, listening to a teacher, studying for a test, and, when I passed, getting a piece of paper with my name written on them.

But — so what?

Even though the education system involves a lot of learning and doing — nothing prepared me more in life than the day I chose to hitchhike across Western Canada.

I had just completed my first year as a tree planter in Hearst, Ontario.

There I was, sitting in the gravel at an Esso gas station with a hockey bag full of clothes and camping gear, struggling to decide what I’d take in my 35L backpack or send back to my parent’s place.

I was excited, nervous, and a little bit scared while whimpering like a baby neglected by his mother.

I had no plan, no destination, and no job coming next — I had nothing but an impulse to chase my own dreams.

Since that day, I’ve done some incredible things like:

• Hitchhike from Toronto to Vancouver Island
• Ride a bike across 6+ countries in Asia
• Become an entrepreneur
• Climb Mt. Fuji in Japan
• Eat a pig’s brain

I become the person I am today not by reading a book or taking a course or passing a test — although they certainly helped in their own unique way.

All I want to say is learning by doing is a powerful thing.

by Jef van de Graaf™

Feeling adventurous? I share my darkest, weirdest, and bestest stuff once a month in an email because… f*ck it, why not?