Want to Stay on Top of the Game? Become a Lifelong Learner🎓

Published: Mon, 07/12/21

If you are not willing to learn no one can help you.

If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.

Zig Ziglar

Years ago, my son asked me why I read so many personal development books. In his head, he thought I must have learned enough from the books I've already read and couldn't see the sense in continuing. My response to him wasn't as sharp and insightful as it will be for you, but I'm sure he got the message.

The adventure of life is to learn.

To be exceptional in any field, including life, you've got to come at it from as many different angles as you can. I explained to my son that daddy needed all the inputs he could get to help him through life. And as a young adult, he's beginning to appreciate the writer's life.

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You've got to study it, you've got to buy books about it, ask others about it and listen to talented writers talk about it. Then live and breathe the learning and improvement.
I can't speak for the geniuses amongst us, but I need to learn from everything. Not everything will make sense; some things just won't apply to me, most things just won't work for me at all, and sometimes I strike gold and find a nugget I can use in my life. A lifelong learner and a student of life is like a prospector. You don't know definitively that you will strike gold, but your experience tells you there's a possibility.

I can't tell you how thankful I am, having a passion that forces me - not that I need to be forced, to discover new things every day. My love of speculative fiction gives me an opportunity to speculate and learn about science and technology, learn about myself, my craft, and the human condition. And what makes it better is I can apply everything I've learned to my writing.

Of course, it can be applied to anything. Anything you do to stimulate your curiosity will benefit you significantly as a lifelong learner, even if you don't have an end goal in mind. Developing a "hungry and healthy mind" is at the heart of curiosity. And curiosity can open many doors for you in a rapidly changing world.

I don't want to sound alarmist, but learning is about survival. We must be prepared to solve the present problems and the ones to come as an individual and as a species. And how are we going to do that if we believe we know enough.

"There's no financial investment that'll ever match learning because if you develop more skill, more ability, more insight, more capacity, that's what's going to really provide economic freedom," writes Tim Ferriss, in his book, Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers.

I bang on about being the best you can be for good reason; it's just not possible to do that without being a lifelong learner, and as far as I'm concerned, it's a prerequisite to living the best possible life.

Knowledge compounds and makes you a better person over time. Don't ever stop pursuing knowledge by telling yourself you're too busy. Find the time and learn something new every day.

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