If there’s one big thing that kids can teach us, it is to learn constantly. Children soak up information like sponges and have a thirst for learning new things. They’re always asking questions. As we age there is a tendency to start thinking that we know it all…especially after achieving advanced degrees. In every industry and occupation, learning more will make you more valuable as an employee. Learning more about relationships and life skills will contribute towards your overall happiness and success in life.
You’re never too old to learn. Pablo Casals, the great cellist was asked why at 85 years of age he continued to practice 5 hours a day. His response was “Because I think I’m getting better.” Life is a school. Think of each day in terms of what lessons you learned so that tomorrow can be better.
Here are some guiding principles for continual learning:
1. Approach learning with an open but discerning mind.
Do not fear to read books outside your experience. Thomas H Huxley said “Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion… or you shall learn nothing.”
“Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.” — Dr. David M. Burns
2. Be content with not knowing everything. Admit that you never will.
For anyone who thinks they know it all. Here’s a lesson. You don’t. Unfortunately, “know it alls” are probably not reading this or listening to many other people, anyway. Are you lacking friends? The “know it all” attitude is one thing that really turns people off. Try listening for a change. Larry King said “I remind myself every morning: ‘Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So, if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening’.”
3. Overcome the fear of learning or being confused by new found facts.
If what you believe is truly the truth, no newly uncovered facts should present any issues to your beliefs. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”
4. Choose your influencers, mentors, and teachers carefully.
A teacher asked Johnny if he knew his numbers. “Yes, My father taught me.” he said. “What comes after three?” she asked. “Four,” answered the boy. “What comes after six?” “Seven.” “Very good,” said the teacher. “Your dad did a great job. What comes after ten?” “A Jack,” said the child.
A father and son went fishing. Like most children, the boy was curious and asked lots of questions: “How does this boat float?” The father thought for a moment, and replied, “Don’t rightly know, son.”
Still curious, the boy asked, “How do fish breath under water?” Again, the father replied. “Don’t rightly know, son.”
Later the boy asked, “Why is the sky blue?” Again, the father replied. “Don’t rightly know, son.”
Worried that he was being annoying, the boy asked, “Dad, do you mind my asking you all these questions?”
“Of course not son. If you don’t ask questions, you’ll never learn anything!”
These two stories teach us an important lesson. Who we choose to learn from is very important. Look for reliable people that have wisdom built up through experience and education. Are they an expert in their field? Are they trustworthy? Are they living their life consistently with their values and what they teach?
Here are a few practical ideas for putting this valuable learning philosophy into practice:
* Budget for your education.
Are you already done with college? That’s fine. View school as an ongoing expense for your entire life. What are you spending your “tuition” money on this year? Books? DVDs? Taking a mentor out to dinner? Seminars? Online classes? You deserve it. Education is a valuable investment in your future.
* Intentionally learn about some subject you don’t know anything about, never cared about in the past, or that you know you are not good at.
You’ll surprise others and yourself with your newly gained knowledge. For example, I’m not that into cars. I pretty much view them as a necessity for getting from place to place. Yet I listen to the “Car Talk” podcast on a regular basis because it’s funny and educational. Click and Clack (brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi) are some of the funniest radio personalities around. Listeners call in with questions about their cars and get some pretty entertaining and accurate answers. One time a lady called in that said she was in love with her aging Jeep Liberty because it represented adventure and fun. In fact, she wanted to name her Jeep “Patrick Henry” after his words “Give me Liberty or give me death!”. They gave her good advice on what car would fit her needs into the future.
* Learn something about a new hobby or interest. Some examples here might be playing an instrument, learning a foreign language, etc. Research has show that keeping an active mind helps to prevent alzheimer’s disease. If you want to grow, you need the attempt things that you can’t do right now.
* Go to the library. That’s the big building with lots of books you can get for free and no cars in the parking lot.
* Watch less TV. A lot of what we see on TV is not very edifying. Spending the same amount of time doing so many other things will increase the quality of your life. Instead of watching other people doing life, live it yourself! Homer Simpson once said “It wasn’t easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to fit in eight hours of TV a day.”
* Get an iPod and use it for podcasts or audio books in addition to your music. One of the best and most inexpensive ways of learning is listening to podcasts. Most podcasts are free! It’s something you can do to redeem time you spend in traffic on the way to work or while exercising with your iPod. My top recommendation here is Andy Stanley’s podcasts. Another great speaker to listen and learn from is Andy Andrews.
* Purchase a yearly subscription to Lynda.com or another online learning resource and use it. They are an incredible value. With discipline, you can learn more than you ever could with individual training classes on your own time.
“The more we learn, the more we find out how little we know.” – Tim Cimbura
“Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.” – Brian Tracy, best-selling author
An old prayer encourages us to ask God the following: Help me to be brave in facing new truth, diligent in searching out half truths, and humble enough to know that I don’t have all the truth.
Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise. — Proverbs 19:20
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