Learn By Doing

This article was featured in our weekly newsletter, the Liberator Online. To receive it in your inbox, sign up here. “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin He’s right! The best way to learn is to get involved, and just do it. While reading books, watching videos, and listening to speeches can deliver a positive learning experience, I learn best by doing. On top of that, there is nothing more motivating than my being told that I can’t do something. In that, I’m sure that I’m not alone. Ten years ago, I’d never stuffed envelopes for a candidate or a political organization, let alone run for office (or won re-election). The majority of what I learned didn’t come from books, videos, speeches, or seminars. It came from “getting my hands dirty” in the actual work necessary to achieve something in the political realm. Whether we’re talking about planning outreach events, executing political rallies, strategizing for campaigns, or general knowledge about politics beyond where to vote, I found the most useful knowledge came when I followed Nike’s advice and just did it. Were there stumbles along the way? Sure. Real-world experience, however, trumped anything I’d read, seen or heard, because I was learning by doing. I didn’t have the biases and handicaps of others, because as I worked to forge my own way, I researched best practices from a variety of sources. Often, those best practices found themselves at odds, depending on the source, so examining them without the distortion of a lens helped me find the best path. As libertarians, we are often hear that we can’t win an election, influence public policy, or that we’ll move society in a libertarian direction. When I hear things like that, I’m motivated to prove them wrong. Thus far, I’ve done all three. What can you accomplish if you just do it?