Curiosity came first.
My learning journey has never followed one fixed subject or a single prescribed path. It has developed through curiosity: discovering a question, looking for explanations, comparing ideas, and allowing one subject to lead to another.
Around 2004 or 2005, my first laptop became an important learning tool. I explored collections of CDs and DVDs, educational videos, and digital reference works such as Microsoft Encarta and Encyclopaedia Britannica. These resources allowed me to return to unfamiliar subjects and study them at my own pace.
Internet cafes opened another window onto information. Before visiting, I often prepared lists of subjects and questions to search for. Each visit became an opportunity to collect leads for further reading and exploration.
An expanding world of ideas.
Books widened my interests across business, management, history, philosophy, human behavior, practical skills, and religious thought. I also spent time studying Buddhist literature and learning from teachers whose guidance encouraged careful reflection and new ways of examining ideas.
Talks and educational videos, including material from TED, introduced perspectives I could revisit and contemplate. Films, documentaries, and television also gave me situations to observe and questions to consider, while remaining distinct from factual or scholarly evidence.
As Wikipedia, online forums, open educational resources, and online courses became part of my learning, it became easier to move between subjects and trace an unfamiliar concept to its wider context.