Put simply, this means that you are unlikely to be able to
switch yourself on to learn something if your most basic needs—
having enough food, not being too tired, having a reasonable roof
over your head, being safe, feeling loved, and feeling that you
belong—are not met.
At first thought, getting to the top of this hierarchy seems
suspiciously as if it might depend on material wealth. True, you
need enough money to eat and to have somewhere to live. But
money cannot buy love and belonging. And, most importantly, it
cannot buy self-esteem.
What is your most powerful learning experience to date? What is the most stressful experi-
ence you can think of? What effect did it have on you? How did you get on at school? Do you
experience threatening situations at work, causing you unacceptable stress? If so, what action
could you take to improve this? Can you think of times when you have been on a training
course and you felt too stressed to take in what you were learning? What could you have done
to overcome this? Do you treat all of your colleagues with respect, even those you find most
difficult to work with?
Reading your own moods
Thinking about stress in the abstract is a difficult thing to do. It is
much easier to describe your own mood at any one specific
moment.
Try this activity right now. What kind of mood are you in? Use the mood meter overleaf to
gauge how you are feeling.
If you are running a meeting or seminar, it may be helpful to find out where your partic-
ipants would position themselves on this meter. If they are down toward the bottom, then you
will need to have strategies for dealing with them! They will not learn or participate effec-
tively until they have started to deal with their negative feelings. More importantly, you will
find it helpful to be more aware of your own moods as a learner.
Getting Ready to Learn 39
