How Can I Change My Beliefs About Learning?

[Constructivist]

Hi friends, I have a few set of belifs which are blocking me from enjoying what I learn. Before I begin, 8 years before when I was a teen, I had the set of belifs;
1. I can achieve anything. And achieveing things gives pleasure
2. I must understand everything to the pure math level. That gives more pleasure.
3. Not everyone knows everything. I can ask people for questions and get some answers. It is okay to ask dumb questions It gives satisfaction when I understand

These are good in certain ways as they were mostly for pleasure. Unfortunately I developed these newer set of belifs due to other life experiences. Today, I have achieved a stable income from engineering field but I do not have that much thrill to asking questions due to these belifs. I would like to change them. I know those are wrong. Those are:
1. Intelligence is innate. There is no use to work hard to understand something. Either I must achieve something or there is no use( even learning for pleasure ). And achievement only comes if you have intelligence
2. People always know more than me. If I ask questions, people will look down upon me. Those who know or think creatively are higher person and those who do not are lower person.
3. I must understand everything in one go. If other people, say in PF can understand it, that means i am dumb.
4. Its okay to feel jealous when one has more thinking or knowledge than you.

I know these are false and want to correct my belifs to :
1. Learning has to.be done for pleasure. Its okay even of you learn high school textbook again to understand something.
2. You can learn pure math or physics as hobby and learn in span of decades. Keep on understanding why it works. Persistence is the key to satisfaction.
3. Its okay to slowly learn. Its also good to understand and solve problems in high school textbooks. It does not pinch much if I understand. Not everyone knows everything. Ofcourse I may not have brain of Einstein but the process of understandong gives me pleasure. So, I do it.
4. Collaborating with others is good ,be it in Physics forums. Those who learn or think faster can help me to understand better. I have to leave ego behind for learning. What is the use of understanding everything in one shot and not get pleasure out of it? People here or anywhere are mostly helpful

Please help me providing examples from your life or others life so that I am deeply convinced on these newer belifs.

 

[Klystron]

Learning science, mathematics and engineering does not require belief in the sense of faith. Learning also requires patience as well as persistence. Speaking poetically, the ocean of knowledge spreads deep and wide; too vast for one person to contain. Learning and staying abreast of new knowledge remain lifelong endeavors marked by private and professional milestones enriched by cooperation and collaboration.

Humans tend to compare themselves to others; a natural activity that should not limit your ability to learn at your own rate. Like you, I practiced several STEM fields but always maintained my love of literature and 'soft' sciences such as anthropology and linguistics. I try to maintain a balance; learning new facts and understanding new observations while reviewing and updating knowledge I previously learned.

 

[Constructivist]

Learning science, mathematics and engineering does not require belief in the sense of faith. Learning also requires patience as well as persistence.

Well, at my end of teens, I certainly had not thought on belif on learning per se but I defintely had some spark when i saw a theorem being proved. Some teenagers got the spark when they did a good piece of art though they may not get spark doing proofs in math. The mistake I did or other life experinces makes me to believe learnining is fixed , that people can be ranked on learning or intelligence. The belif is so strong that it hinders my learning and would like to correct ir. How will an artist draw if he belives that others are lower than him, learning is fixed and he must produce masterpiece in first go ? Too unrealistic and disappointment is the result. If it goes on, he will be unmotivated though the innate creative spark may remain. The same is with me now.

 

[Choppy]

Generally, what I think what you're describing is a desire to move from a static mindset (intelligence is innate) to a growth mindset (intelligence is learned).

Some tips in this regard:

1. There seems to be a lot of focus on pleasure in your posting. While there's nothing inherently wrong with that, just about anything worth accomplishing is going to require some (or even a lot) of mundane and outright boring work. This is where self-discipline comes in. Self-discipline is developed through practice.
2. A lot can depend on the people that you choose to surround yourself with.
   Spend your time with people who:
   - have similar goals and interests
   - are more accomplished than you
   - express a genuine desire for you to reach your goals
   (I know its often difficult to make new friends during periods of isolation, and you don't always get to control who you're paired up with, but make conscious decisions about this kind of thing when the opportunity presents itself.)
3. Give back. Try to help others who are less accomplished than yourself.
4. Seek mentorship. Many people fall victim to the mindset that they need to accomplish everything completely alone, or that they haven't really accomplished something if they get help.
5. Take on challenges. One of the defining differences in the two mindsets is that those who cling to the innate intelligence belief tend not to challenge themselves and instead take on only projects where they know they will do well. Those with the growth mindset tend to take on bigger, more uncertain challenges because even failure will allow them to grow.