There’s a truth I’ve been kicking around lately: I’m tired of trying to be my “best self.” Somewhere between the little habits, the piles of self-help books, and the endless talk of doing well, life started to feel more like maintenance and more like work. I asked myself, almost with a taste: Has the good life gone too far? And the unpopular answer I keep coming back to is yes.
I don’t want to prolong my life anymore – I want to live. To feel curious, expanded, and inspired, don’t always get dirty. Instead of ending my process or hacking my habits, what I desire is something more subtle: expansion, not efficiency. Depth of discipline. Reading not because I have to, but because it makes me feel awake again.
A personal curriculum for living to the fullest
That’s why, when I stumbled across the idea of ​​a personalized curriculum, it felt like I had made it. Not with another plan to win or to do it so you can know it, but to return to the simplest form: Following what pleases me. Examining Ideas, Books and Skills because they hold something back – not because they promise to make me better.
I have always believed that religious consciousness is the greatest curiosity. I don’t pretend to have everything figured out (far from it), but my instinct to follow what lights up my mind has never steered me wrong. It keeps me flexible, hopeful and connected through all the chapters of my life.
Learning happiness – not perfection – grows us in ways to achieve the impossible.
A new way to grow this season
In the winter, instead of setting goals, I design a syllabus – one designed for productivity, but for ambition, curiosity, and humanity. A personalized curriculum is not about being a new person. It’s about getting back to the parts of you that felt compelled by the weight of your performance.
So if you’re feeling the same pull, here’s a curriculum that actually exists, and how you can create one that feels more spiritual instead of a checklist instead of a checklist.
What is a personalized curriculum?
A personalized curriculum is exactly what it sounds like: A “tailored” course in lessons and experiences that strike something deep within you. It’s a habit based on curiosity rather than fulfillment – you return to learning for its pure, unguarded joy.
Perhaps this looks like a month focused on ministry, a season spent learning to look at the bread, or a philosophy of cleaning in peace or images. There is no performance. There is no scaling. Enjoy the slow, intense follow-through that’s now being heard.
In a developmentally oriented culture, a personalized curriculum makes us lifelong learners and curious, playful and open. Not fighting, but growing. Not to achieve, but to rise.
Why is the antidote to burnout in the winter
Winter invites a different pace. Light softens, lines fade, and our bodies ask us to turn inward. But instead of respecting that, we often try to make it through strategies, decisions and suspicions of production.
Personal curriculum meets in the winter when available. It gives us a way to stay engaged – not by urgency, but by inspiration. Burnout comes from going out without repetition. The personal curriculum is repetitive, a reminder that growth doesn’t have to look like a struggle. Sometimes it looks like I’m paying attention.
How to find out what you want to know about it
The first step is not planning – we see. Curiosity is seen as a tug: The book you keep picking up, the recipe you saved three times, the topic you research the most at night.
Ask yourself:
- What drew me to it, without trying?
- What ideas or topics keep reviving?
- What feels like nourishment, not obligation?
- What makes me feel more alive to learn?
Start there. Your curiosity is already pointing somewhere – your job is simply to follow it.
How to create your own private curriculum
As soon as you feel that spark, give it structure – just enough to support it, but not so much that it feels stiff. Think about clarity and rhythm, not rules.
1. Choose 1-2 themes
Depth, not width. Let this season be about one or two meaningful threads. Examples would be: poetry, seasonal cooking, philosophy, photography, art history, or nature study.
2. Choose your study formats
Once you’ve chosen your themes, decide How He wants to learn. Personal curriculum curriculum with purpose and ideas to soften, then engage with them. Consider choosing one format for each category:
Enter
- Read (Books, Articles, Susacks)
- Watch / listen (lectures, documentaries, podcasts, lectures)
To do
- Practice (writing, cooking, photography, scanning, language)
- Experience (museum visits, nature walks, workshops, classes, talks)
Thinking carefully
- Journal or voice memo
- Weekly notes on what moved or sparked you
The magic is already: read? do? show. It keeps your curiosity alive and helps your reading comprehension. Let the ideas flow in, pass you by, and transform you – that’s where growth really comes to life.
3. Set a gentle rhythm
Personal curriculum comes with rhythmic living. These look like small, consistent gestures that help curiosity become a part of everyday life. Choose simple anchors you can look forward to, such as:
- Sunday morning to learn the culture
- Take a winter night walk each week to notice the light, the stillness, and the changing of the seasons
- One new recipe for the weekend
- Monthly outings or cultural tours (visits to a museum, workshop, workshop, bookstore Browse, film, author talk, etc.)
The goal is not to fill your calendar – to create moments you return to.
4. Always be flexible
Your interests will change as you explore. That’s not failure, it’s part of the process. If the context calls out to you, pivot. When a new curiosity strikes, follow it. A personalized curriculum is not meant to lock you in; It’s made to go with you.
5. Show up every week
Take a moment at the end of each week to check in with yourself. You don’t need a spreadsheet or journaling process – just a moment of true awareness.
Ask yourself:
- What triggered something in me this week?
- What felt reasonable or meaningful?
- What do I want to explore more next week?
Evaluation Ideas
Consider these activities, but invitations – small ways to follow your curiosity in everyday life. Pick one or two that feel fun or just plain interesting. Let inspiration, not pressure, be the guide.
Creativity: Read a new poet every month, introduce one collection of poems, written or written every week
Food: Dive deep into one cuisine, learn seafood based techniques (broth, braise, bread), host a fun dinner to share your learning
Philosophy and questioning: Choose a thinker or school of thought, read one text at a time – a chapter at a time, keep a notebook of questions + comments
Art and Visual Learning: Choose an artist or movement, visit a museum or gallery once a month, sketch or photograph what inspires you
Nature and seasonal attention: Study winter plants or constellations, walk the same route of this change, keep a simple nature notebook
Home: Study the philosophy of a single design or season, create small vignettes of the season, notice and lift a daily moment (a candle in the evening, a bandside vase of flowers, with a meal)
The beauty of learning for learning’s sake
Winter gives us the gift of slownisess – the opportunity to slow down the accelerator and turn inward, not in retrospect but in gentle expansion. A respected personal curriculum that rhythm. It reminds us that growth does not only happen through achievement. It thrives on curiosity, play, and the act of paying attention.
As you move through the season, let your interests guide you. Take the books you have, follow a recipe that expresses comfort, or just take a walk to notice the winter light on the trees. Let your learning be personalized and your pace be kind. There is no finish line – just a way forward.
Here’s to a winter of rediscovering the joy of learning.