“I don't know what I think until I write it down.” ― Joan Didion
It is peculiar irony in life that the fastest and best way to learn something is to give it to others as soon as you learn it — not to hog it yourself.
Knowledge wants to be free. To rest in other people's minds. To connect to other knowledge. It's an innately social organism.
Therefore, teaching is knowledge's oxygen.
In teaching what you learn as soon as you learn it, you:
- Are able to see the knowledge from an objective perspective. Therefore, you're able to see gaps in what you know.
- Transform the knowledge so others will understand. In so doing, you understand the knowledge at a deeper level and remember it for longer.
- Become accountable. Therefore, you become more likely to apply it in your own life.
In teaching others, you:
- Help them think better, make better decisions, and achieve their goals faster.
- Build a relationships with them.
We are all teachers—teachers of our kids, our team at work, our friends, and everyone we come into contact with. Teaching others what we have learned is one of the noblest things we can do with our short time on this planet.
“While we teach, we learn.” — Seneca