Why We Think Ignorance Is Bliss

Why 'Ignorance is Bliss' Is Only a Temporary Refuge

"Ignorance is bliss" works only until reality demands more from us. When we're faced with a challenge that uncovers our lack of knowledge, it can feel like a harsh awakening. This is the moment of conscious ignorance, where we feel most vulnerable.

But it's also where enlightenment begins.

Embracing this discomfort is how we grow.

Life, as I see it, is a continuous learning process. The more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know. It's like someone keeps pressing the reset button and you’re constantly starting from ground zero.

Not everyone is cut out for the constant ups and downs that learning brings.

It requires a certain tenacity to keep pushing through the discomfort of not knowing.

That’s why some people seem to have a knack for things—they’re not necessarily more talented, but they are more persistent in their learning.

Life really comes alive when we step out of the "Ignorant Bliss" zone. Before this shift, we're like babies in the womb—

• comfortable

• nurtured in a cocoon of warmth and safety

• blissfully unaware of the complexities of the world outside

But there comes a moment, a sudden and inevitable push, where we're thrown into the game of life, taking our first real gulp of air. It stings, it shocks, and yes, we cry from the overwhelming newness of it all.

But, oh, isn't this where life truly begins?

This shift from comfort to challenge, from ignorance to sudden awareness of our limitations, is both exciting and intimidating. It's a crucial turning point in our lives, a stage that shapes how we grow and what paths we take. In this week's newsletter, we focus on this extremely important phase after ignorance. Understanding your limitations doesn't have to hold you back; it can actually be the push you need to move forward.

What you choose to do after you're pushed out of your comfort zone—whether you shrink back or learn to breathe and thrive in this new environment—will define your path for the time being.

Will you remain on the sidelines, painfully aware of what could be, or will you dive into the deep end and swim towards mastery and unconscious competence?

Join us as we explore how embracing this phase of conscious unknowing is the moment you didn’t know you were waiting for.

Let’s go!

If you read one of my previous newsletters you know, my journey into the world of children's book writing has been filled with many ups and downs. Writing the 5 books came easily and quickly to me, compared to Illustrating the stories which brought its own set of challenges, in fact, I almost gave up. Eventually, I overcame this challenge and illustrated all 5 books.

However, the biggest test came when I shifted from the internal pages to the book covers.

Just when I thought I “knew” all about illustrating books, I soon realized I knew little about book covers. which is why it felt slightly more painful than illustrating them.

I spent nearly a year perfecting the art within the books. Confident and proud, I assumed transitioning to a “simple” cover design would be straightforward.

Nope! This was far from the truth. When I started comparing my covers to others, the truth was too obvious.

They didn’t outright suck, compared to some I saw selling, but not selling well (go figure). But they did not stand up to the ones I loved and would buy for my own kids.

Cover design, it turns out, is a specialty all its own.

Realizing that skilled cover designers were responsible for the captivating covers I envied was both a relief and a new challenge. It momentarily eased my ego, but I was left with a decision: should I invest time in mastering another skill or focus on what I set out to do—create and share my stories?

Ultimately, I chose to acknowledge my limits within this new challenge.

Learning to recognize when to push through and when to delegate is a pivotal skill in itself I’m constantly learning and testing out.

I decided to collaborate with a professional cover designer, focusing on what I do best—writing and illustrating the narrative. This decision not only expedited the process but also ensured my books would be as visually appealing on the outside as they are rich in story on the inside.

Ok, so you might notice that this realization took me right out of my "Ignorance is bliss" zone once I realized that my book covers weren't at the caliber I wanted. But look at the power that comes from this realization. What if I hadn't done the research and instead just assumed that because it looked good to me, it was good enough?

Here's where "Ignorance is bliss" bites down hard. Publishing this book and then wondering why it isn't selling—basing it on my beautiful interior pages without taking into account what a professional cover really is—would have been a much bigger letdown.

At first, realizing I didn't have the skills I thought I did made me feel a bit "dumb." But here’s something cool I’ve learned: in life, we're often juggling different phases of awareness, and it's totally normal. Let's break it down into four key phases:

Understanding the Depths of Learning: Why It's More Than Just Gaining Skills

Diving into the world of book creation taught me more than just illustration and writing—it uncovered the deeper, often hidden layers of learning. Let's break down the journey of knowledge that many of us unknowingly embark on:

1. Unconscious Unknowing (Blissful Ignorance): This is where we all start. Like a child who doesn't yet know that fire is hot, we don't know what we don't know. It's a blissful state because there’s no worry about the complexities that come with knowledge. Here, ignorance truly feels like bliss because there's no awareness of deficiency.

2. Conscious Unknowing (The Realization): This is the "oh no" moment. For me, it was realizing that book covers are a craft of their own, entirely different from interior illustrations. It's like suddenly seeing a hurdle in your path that you can't ignore. This phase often feels like a setback, but it’s really the starting line of true learning.

3. Conscious Knowing (The Grind): Here’s where the real work begins. You start learning deliberately, facing the challenges head-on. It’s tough, gritty, and requires persistence. It's not just about gathering information; it's about transforming that information into a skill you can use. This phase is where you build your competence through practice, trial, and error.

4. Unconscious Knowing (Mastery): This is the goal. It’s when the skill becomes second nature, like driving a car or typing without looking at the keyboard. You no longer have to think about the 'how' because it flows naturally. This is where mastery lies, and every struggle along the way begins to make sense.

Why 'Ignorance is Bliss' Is Only a Temporary Refuge

"Ignorance is bliss" works only until reality demands more from us. When we're faced with a challenge that uncovers our lack of knowledge, it can feel like a harsh awakening. This is the moment of conscious ignorance, where we feel most vulnerable. But it's also where enlightenment begins. Embracing this discomfort is how we grow.

The Flaws of Formal Education

Let's talk about traditional schooling for a second. It's this tight box that tells us exactly what to learn, squashing any chance to find out what really interests us. Here’s why this system isn't doing us any favors when it comes to keeping that spark for learning alive:

• Killing the Desire to Learn: The Limits of Traditional Learning:

  • Kills Curiosity: Schools are all about building a base of facts, but they hammer so much on memorizing stuff that it kills our curiosity.

  • Caps Creativity: It’s all about following a set plan, which means little room for creativity or finding your own path.

  • Missed Connections: Constantly being told what to learn stops us from connecting with things that might really light a fire

    under us.

  • Drowning Out Enthusiasm: The traditional focus on rote learning and standardization kills the natural joy and excitement that comes from discovery and personal achievement. This not only makes learning a chore but also robs us of the satisfaction that comes from mastering new challenges through personal effort and creativity.

• Practical vs. Theoretical Learning:

  • Real Skills Gap: Knowing something from a book is one thing; using it in the real world is a whole other ball game. Schools focus on the book part, not so much on the real-world part.

  • Application Is Key: If we can’t use what we learn, what’s the point? Learning needs to be practical, not just theoretical.

When information is spoon-fed, it prevents us from connecting deeply with subjects that could ignite our passions. We start out as curious babies, hungry to learn and explore, but this system reduces us to data banks, or more like filling time capsules of information that no one plans to ever dig up.

This stifles creativity and innovation, it is a wonder that new, groundbreaking ideas come about at all, given that most of us went through this antiquated system.

But it does explain why people are in such awe of those who do. They forget that they were born one of those innovators as well because it’s buried under “to-do lists” and fact-filled heads that never get used.

The Real Deal on Learning

Knowing how to learn is way more important than just knowing what to learn. And keeping the thrill of learning alive is key to making it all stick.

Why 'How to Learn' Beats 'What to Learn':

• Real Skills for Real Life: Learning how to learn is about picking up skills that you can actually use out in the world, not just facts you memorize for a test and then forget. It's about knowing how to think on your feet, solve problems, and adapt to new situations—stuff that matters long after you leave the classroom.

Why Keeping the Desire to Learn Alive Matters:

• Learning Isn’t Just for School: A lot of us think we’re done with learning when we finish school. Big mistake! Real life is where the true test begins, and it’s also where you realize how much there is to learn. If school felt like just memorizing and forgetting, it’s no wonder so many of us think we don’t like to learn.

• Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat; It Made It Smarter: Keeping the desire to learn alive is all about staying curious. When learning feels like exploring—finding out new things, solving real problems, connecting the dots—it stays interesting. It’s about seeing learning as a lifetime adventure, not a chore to finish.

Learning Through Challenges: Embracing the Hard Way

One chilly holiday season in Norway, at my in-law’s home, a wood-burning stove was just too tempting for any toddler to ignore. My oldest daughter, barely over a year old and full of curiosity, was drawn to the warm glow behind the stove's glass. Despite my warnings of "Hot! Hot! No, don’t touch," those were just sounds to her—until she felt the heat for herself.

Observation and Warning: She’d eye that glowing stove, captivated, while I hovered close by, always ready to steer her away.

Firsthand Experience: After 2 days of this, eventually, she managed to tap the glass before I could stop her. It shocked her, and luckily it was only hot enough to scare and not scar. But it made the concept of "hot" very real. She yelled "Hot! Hot!" and that was the end of her fascination.

Immediate Understanding: From then on, she gave the stove a wide distance whenever she had to walk pass, no longer tempted to get too close.

This little episode with my daughter and the stove is a perfect example of how direct experiences can teach us powerful lessons. Imagine this: it's your first time trying to cook an exotic meal on your own. You've watched enough cooking shows seeing others do it effortlessly and think, "How hard can it be?" But as soon as you start, you realize cooking involves more than following a recipe—it's timing, heat management, and a dash of intuition.

That's your 'hot stove' moment—realizing cooking isn't as simple as it looks. It stings a bit when the dish doesn’t turn out as planned, sure, but it opens your eyes. What if you hadn’t attempted to cook it and just continued to watch from the sofa, blissfully unaware?

Taking the leap to try cooking it yourself exposes you to the reality of the kitchen, much like touching a hot stove teaches a child what 'hot' truly means.

• Forces Engagement: Just like my daughter needed to literally feel the heat to understand, you need to experience the kitchen's chaos to grasp the culinary skills required.

• Builds Resilience: Each burnt dish or undercooked meal is a lesson in itself, building your confidence and resilience, preparing you for more complex recipes.

• Provides Real-World Context: The act of cooking grounds the abstract ideas of recipes and culinary arts into tangible, immediate experiences.

Learning through these direct experiences shows that getting close to the 'fire'—literally in cooking and metaphorically in life—is the best way to understand your challenges and learn what you need to overcome them.

It’s not about getting burned, but about feeling the heat and using that moment of clarity to push forward, more informed and prepared than before.

Sometimes, we need to learn the hard way.

The only way to truly improve your life is by improving yourself, and the fastest track to self-improvement is through learning.

To learn fastest, you need to turn up the heat, get close enough to the fire to feel its warmth, and know that if you don’t master how to handle the heat, you might get burned.

Here's the real talk on why you need to step up to the flames:

1. Challenges Propel Growth: If you're not being challenged, you're probably not growing. Challenges are the fuel that powers the engine of personal development. They push you beyond your comfort zones, forcing you to adapt, overcome, and evolve.

2. Incentives Drive Change: Without a strong enough reason or incentive, change is hard to come by. You need a compelling "why" to push you through the discomfort that often accompanies learning something new.

3. Feeling the Heat: You need to be close enough to the fire to feel its heat. This doesn’t mean recklessly throwing yourself into danger, but rather positioning yourself where the stakes are high enough to demand your best effort.

How to Turn Up the Heat and Start Cooking with Gas:

• Embrace Discomfort: Understand that discomfort is a sign of growth. If you’re comfortable, you’re likely not pushing hard enough. Lean into the discomfort that comes with new challenges.

• Set Incentives: Define clear, compelling reasons to pursue your learning goals. Whether it’s a promotion, a new career, or personal satisfaction, make sure your incentives are strong enough to keep you moving forward.

• Get Close to the Fire: Engage in activities that stretch your abilities. Join groups, take on projects, or start new ventures that force you to operate at the edge of your competence.

• Stay on the Spiral Path of Learning: Recognize that learning isn’t linear—it spirals. You might circle back to skills and concepts over time, each time deepening your understanding and proficiency.

• Keep Your Eyes on the Prize: Focus on your long-term goals, not the discomfort or the fear of failure. Where you direct your attention, your energy flows. Staying focused on the outcome will help you navigate through the twists and turns of the learning process.

Why Babies Are Our Best Teachers:

Consider how babies learn to walk and talk. They have every incentive to get moving and communicating—walking opens up new worlds to explore, and talking allows them to express their needs and desires. Babies don’t worry about stumbling or babbling; they focus on the goal and push towards it.

What choice do they really have if they want to get into your cabinets and wreak havoc?

They go from crawling to walking, then from gibberish to meaningful conversations, each phase building on the last.

In life, walking the thin line between comfort and growth requires a forward-focused gaze. Looking down or backward will lead to a loss of momentum and possibly starting all over again.

That's a deterrent strong enough to keep anyone pushing forward rather than facing the task of beginning ONCE AGAIN from ground zero.

This is how learning works:

• staying engaged,

• facing challenges head-on,

• and continually moving forward.

If you're not growing, you're decaying.

Bottom Line: Keeping your learning desire fired up is crucial. If you leave school thinking learning’s over, you’re missing out on so much. Life’s full of things to learn that actually matter, that actually change how you live and how you think. We need to keep that spark from when we were kids, always asking "why?" and "how?" Because when it comes to learning for real life, we’re just getting started.