Exertion

It’s well understood that in order to improve, there must be some associated exertion.  This is obvious with exercise, or fitness.  If you want to lift heavier weights, then, start lifting heavier weights.  If you want to run faster, you have to, well, run faster.

The same is true for learning.  Active effort is required in order to learn; passive learning does not work, or at least isn’t as effective.  This is difficult to accept for students, and more particularly, for those of us mid-career or later.  We simply don’t learn unless we’ve had to put some exertion into it.