Learned vs Enlightened (Quote)

I used this quote a lot on my FI journey.

At the start of my FI journey, I tried everything under the sun to make sure I got to FI sooner. I pulled all the levers I could find to reduce spending and improve investment returns. And I spend a lot of time trying to learn new strategies and tricks every day.

However, over time, I began to focus on a smaller and smaller number of things. This was helpful because instead of doing everything possible, I got better and better at a few things. Eventually doing those few things right was all that was needed to get to FI!

This quote also applies to non-FI areas. I used to be an avid consumer of news. I used to read news sites, listen to podcasts, read magazines, etc. And I used to consume news about everything – economy, politics, finance, sports, health, etc. Pretty much anything I could lay my hands on, I used to read. Learning as much as you can is great in the early part of your life. When you start a new job or are moving up the corporate ladder, it helps to learn new things continuously.

But at some point, you have to stop learning all the time and start thinking more. You have to go deeper into topics. That can only happen when you stop and think about things. The continuous intake of information prevents deep assimilation or understanding.

To become learned, each day add something.
To become enlightened, each day remove something.
Lao Tzu