Teaching Is Learning: Why I Started This Blog

by Jon Jeffery | Jan 11, 2025 | Personal Growth

Welcome to my little corner of the internet! However you found your way here—whether I shared the link or you stumbled upon it—I’m truly glad you’re here.

This is the first of many posts where I’ll share my wins, lessons, and challenges as I navigate life.

So, why start a blog? Why add to the sea of voices online? The answer is simple: teaching others is the ultimate cheat code to learning.

This blog gives me a space to flex my creativity, deepen my understanding, and hopefully, leave something valuable behind for someone like you. Let me show you why this approach is a win-win.

Have you ever studied for an exam or tried to learn something new, only to blank when someone asked you to explain it? That’s because many of us stick to the lowest forms of learning—like watching videos or reading—and never push ourselves further.

The Learning Pyramid theory (https://www.educationcorner.com/the-learning-pyramid/) suggests that teaching others is one of the most effective ways to retain knowledge, with a 90% retention rate. Teaching forces you to clarify your thoughts, find gaps in your understanding, and make ideas accessible to others.

That’s why sharing what I’m doing is as much for me as it is for you. By writing these posts, I’m solidifying what I learn while creating a resource that others can benefit from.

We’ve all had to learn lessons—some from books, others from experience. Dave Ramsey likes to call those painful experiences the “stupid tax.”

Here’s a simple example: When I was a kid, my mom made me a Hot Pocket and told me to wait because it was too hot. Did I listen? Nope. I bit into it immediately, burned the hell out of my chin in the process. Lesson learned: sometimes, patience saves you pain.

While not every lesson is as small (or funny) as that, the point stands. If I can share my experiences and help someone else avoid paying their own “stupid tax,” this blog will have done its job.

Finally, I wanted a space to create and share that I control. Social media is fine for quick updates, but it often feels limiting. It’s easy to get sucked into distractions or be bound by the platform’s rules—word counts, square photos, and fleeting attention spans.

Here, I can write freely, showcase my hobbies, and practice skills like frontend development, writing, and cloud technology. This blog is a playground for my creativity and a way to share what I’m learning without the constraints of social media.

If you’re curious about what inspired me, this video captures the spirit of why I’m building this space: LrnJulie – I deleted all my social media and made a website.

This blog is my way of sharing, learning, and growing—a win-win for both of us. My hope is that something I share here will resonate with you or help you on your own journey.

Thanks for being here as I figure out how to be a better version of myself. See you next time!