Why forcing people to learn will never work (and how to fix it)

I used to think that if someone wasn’t paying attention, they just didn’t want to learn. Sound familiar? 

But the truth is, everyone wants to learn—they just don’t want to learn what you want to teach them. And that’s okay.

Picture this: You walk into a classroom, still replaying the morning’s chaos in your head—a missed bus, an urgent email, and no time for coffee. Then, the teacher launches into a topic you can’t connect with. Frustrating, right?

It's not that you're uninterested in learning—you’re just not ready for that.

I see this mistake everywhere: parents with their kids, bosses with employees, and teachers with students. We want to share what we know because we believe in its value. 

But when the timing is wrong, it feels forced—and nothing sticks.

Like school leadership hiring someone to teach you a new IT application 2 days before summer break. Your mind is elsewhere — you're wrapping up the year. You will not remember a thing after summer.

Forcing learning fails because:

→ It feels irrelevant to current needs

→ It’s misaligned with personal interests

→ It ignores the mental readiness to engage

That’s why I’ve made it my mission to foster learning environments based on engagement and choice. Schools that guide students towards success in life, not just in tests. Spaces where curiosity drives learning. 

Because the real question isn’t "Did they memorize this?" but “Will they remember this a year from now?”

If we want people to truly connect and learn, we need to meet them where they are, not where we think they should be.

What’s one thing you wish you had been taught differently in life? Let me know—I’d love to hear your thoughts.