Learning Something New

As I get older I find it hard sometimes to learn something new.  Maybe it is because, as an adult, we have options. I get comfortable and fall in to my habits and don’t often think to venture out and learn new things.  I like to be sure that I can do something before I try it. Which doesn’t really make sense because how do you know you can do something if you have never done it before.

I suppose I am afraid of failure and also criticism.  Recently I have realized that I really need to take the time to learn the new field of law that I am in.  I started this job with a cursory knowledge of the field and got thrown in. In the midst of working on documents and research I managed to learn a lot of new info.  However, I didn’t take the time to delve deep. To find out the background, the public policy, they why of all these different rules and regulations. So I am working on that now. 

It is a painful experience.  I have not been in school for quite some time and I am not nearly as sharp as I used to be.  I don’t have as much energy, as much patience, nor as much motivation as I once did. But it’s important for me to understand rather than just apply.  I think it will make my job easier. The law is ever changing, which is also frustrating. Every few months there will be new things to learn and adjust.  Which is very hard for me because it takes me time to get used to something.

I don’t think I will become a whiz kid overnight, or any time soon.  But I am hoping that at least I will be able to have a working knowledge that I can work with.  So I feel more comfortable and more confident in what I am doing. I have to be okay with the fact that I am a totally green, despite having been an attorney for 15 years, I don’t know all that much about this particular field.  But one way or another I will get there (I hope).