Holistic learning

Patterns and systems

Interconnectedness

It’s so frustrating how we’re never really taught how to learn. So much of our education system is based on producing results without souls, and brains without goals. Focus on the exam, cram all you can, and move on to the next thing. Year after year.

Unfortunately, it’s only been in these past—let’s say—two years or so that I made “training my critical thinking” part of my personal goal. And I only say unfortunately because I feel like this should’ve started way earlier—even in childhood.

I decided to start grappling with different ideas from different disciplines, all in pursuit of getting a bigger picture of what the hell this is all about. My approach hasn’t been all about books, historical figures, and quotes, but more about getting closer to different people and learning how to really listen.

The point is: as I started to understand the world from different perspectives, I realized how interconnected all these disciplines and ways of thinking really are. Maybe it’s just me, but I always saw a clear line between, say, math, history, and biology. There was no connection whatsoever—nor anyone helping me draw some axes between the blobs in my brain.

And when you grow up with this sense of separation, you never really unlearn to see life this way—unless you take responsibility for your learning and decide to make a change.

Breaking the separation

Some people become good at things almost by accident. Just by being curious and interested in something, dedicating time to it—almost inadvertently—and eventually turning it into a lifestyle. That’s how I learned English.

Creating a YouTube channel where I unpack the process behind my learning has helped me understand how I actually arrived at this level (like, I’m even writing on Substack!). While I did have plans, goals, and routines—more or less intense depending on where I was—I’ve been doing a lot of reflection to remember how I really did it, because most of it happened naturally.

And now, as I’m learning Hungarian, I’ve realized that some of the methods that worked for English don’t really apply to this process—despite it being the same skill: acquiring a language.

To my surprise, I’m learning more about how to learn Hungarian through exercise. And this is where my wall of separation in learning began its slow demolition.

One thing you need to know about me, is my obsession with jumping rope. For me it’s a type of art. It requires a high level of presence and a lot of coordination.

Lately, I’ve been noticing how some of the lessons I’ve learned from jumping rope—something that seems entirely unrelated to language—are helping me become a better language learner. And it’s made me think about the concept of universal principles in learning.

Josh Waitzkin often talks about how true mastery comes from understanding learning at a deeper, more universal level—beyond just the surface of a specific discipline. When you learn how to learn, those skills become transferable. The patience, rhythm, attention, and consistency I’ve developed through jumping rope are now helping me with Hungarian.

But learning isn’t always transferable by default—especially if we don’t recognize the underlying patterns that connect things. Just like we compartmentalized disciplines in school, we tend to compartmentalize skills in life. I used to put “language” in one box and “fitness” in another, as if my brain didn’t carry over the same learning mechanisms. But when we pay attention, we can see how the discipline we build in one area can support us in others.

If you take a moment to look inward, I’m sure you’ll find an area of your life that connects to another in a way you hadn’t expected. This is my invitation to explore the interconnectedness of your own life—to see what lessons drawn from one territory (work, fitness, nutrition…) could apply to another (parenting, friendship, communication…).

Live in universal principles

For now, the universal principles I’ve extracted from both jumping rope and language learning are:

• Learn the basics

• Give your body and mind space to process

• Repetition is crucial

• Find ways to enjoy every part of it

• Don’t take yourself too seriously

• Teach it to someone—test yourself

• Be humble and honest—it’s okay to not know

• Analyze your weaknesses and work on them

• Failure is only failure when you quit. Until then, they’re just attempts.

This post was highly inspired by this episode featuring Andrew Huberman and Josh Waitzkin: