Lifelong Learning

Lifelong Learning. Why do we want to adopt the mindset or habit of being lifelong learners?

Here are three people you may know who have an opinion on the subject.

• Warren Buffett: “The more you learn, the more you earn.”
• Albert Einstein: “Once you stop learning, you start dying.”
• Henry Ford: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

These three well-known and famous contributors to the world see lifelong learning from different perspectives, but they all value it highly.

Depending on what you learn, it will impact your life differently.

Learning is a vehicle for increasing our awareness in a particular area of life, thereby increasing our results.

In my mid-30s, I weighed 115 Kilograms (254 lbs) and tried every diet. My weight fluctuated for years. I started studying health, diet, weight loss, and exercise and became an International health coach.

I continue to study health—physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual health. Our bodies are more than physical, so we must look at everything.

Due to technological advancements and AI, new information is released annually and even monthly. Now, we can get correct, updated information.

My health is the best it has ever been. I currently weigh 73 kilos (161 lbs).

I’m a lifelong learner who can apply current, cutting-edge, updated information regarding my health.

I’m also a lifelong learner in other essential areas of my life, especially those areas I value the most.

Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo, has often spoken about the importance of being a lifelong learner. One notable quote from her on this topic is:

“The distance between number one and number two is always a constant. If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself and the organization gets pulled up with you. That, in my view, is the single most important thing that executives must do. You’ve got to keep learning and changing and evolving.”

What is one area of your life you would love to improve through being a lifelong learner?

Let’s dive in and discover how we can make it happen.

3 Reasons To Be A Lifelong Learner

Personal Growth and Fulfillment:

Lifelong learning contributes to personal development and a sense of achievement. We feel outstanding achievement when learning, growing and becoming an updated version of ourselves.

The fulfilment comes from BEING, becoming, not just obtaining something tangible. You’ve heard the saying, we need to be before we can have.

When we commit to lifelong learning, we are on an evolutionary path to becoming better and more capable. Our future self is always more capable than our present self.

The fulfilment is in the BEING, and the having is a bonus.

When we get better, our lives get better.

Career Advancement:

The role of continuous learning in career growth and staying competitive in the job market.

Industries, technologies, organisations, and how things are done are changing and disappearing. They are being replaced by new industries, different technologies, younger organisations, and a different way of doing things.

To stay relevant, we must be lifelong learners, advancing our careers or remaining employed. We want to be included as technology and AI move faster than we can keep pace.

The world is small, and we compete locally and internationally in the job market. This requires us to be a master in our field of expertise.

Adaptability To Change:

The importance of being able to adapt to new technologies and changing environments.

We need to become more flexible and adaptable to change. Businesses and staff must learn to apply changes quickly when implementing new technologies.

Everything is in flux, moving, growing, and speeding up, and we, too, must reflect this change in our behavior. Without learning, growing, and adapting, we may be left behind.

What Lifelong Learning Entails

Formal Education:

Formal education is one way to start being a lifelong learner, especially after completing your university degree.

You can sign up for a course, earn a certification, or pursue further degrees.

We have the advantage that many trainings can be completed online, making it much more manageable. There are plenty of courses to attend; you must plan which one will suit you best.

I live in Vietnam and travelled to Australia and Thailand to complete three NLP Communication Certifications. I am now qualified to teach the same NLP Certifications in Vietnam.

Online study can be a very affordable option.

Informal Learning:

Self-directed learning methods such as reading books, online resources, and attending workshops.

You can read books, listen to audiobooks, watch educational YouTube videos, research online, or attend local short-form workshops. These are great ways of staying up to date through informal learning.

Practical Experience:

We are learning through practical experience, hobbies, and real-world applications.

How can you get some real-life experiences? Can you volunteer in an industry that you want to learn more about that industry?

Taking up a hobby or joining a hobby group to learn can be another way.

Possibly volunteering in a department at work you want to learn more about as a possible career transition.

The more practical experience we get, the faster we will learn.

While learning Public Speaking, I attended Toastmasters International and put myself in public speaking situations for more practice. Last year, in 2023, I was invited to Burundi, East Africa, to present a Leadership Training. That door would have been closed because I needed public speaking skills, which I consistently have been upgrading.

How To Cultivate Lifelong Learning

Set Learning Goals:

This is extremely important. We should always have specific, achievable learning goals. To stay current in the 21st century, our learning goals need to be prioritized over some of our other goals.

If you listen to Warren Buffett = “The more you learn, the more you earn”.

Always have a learning goal.

I prioritise learning and set time aside daily for some form of learning. This can be listening to an audiobook, watching an educational YouTube video, or studying a textbook.

This year, I have a goal to read 100 books in 2024. I’ve already consumed 63 books.

Develop A Routine:

A great start would be to nominate a time each day for learning. For example, you could read a book for 30 minutes every morning before work.

You could listen to an audiobook while travelling to work or while exercising.

Once you set a goal for daily learning, you will start to see all the opportunities to learn.

When I set my goal to read 100 books in 2024, I quickly found a lot of wasted time and transferred it into productive reading time.

To help you set up a routine for lifelong learning, download my FREE E-Book, Power Moves Habits, to set up your morning and evening routines.

Seek Resources and Communities:

Another option is to find and utilise resources such as online courses, libraries, and learning communities.

There is plenty of learning material and courses we can attend. Depending on your time and budget, there is something for everyone.

Conclusion:

When we commit to a Lifelong Learning plan, we can expect the following benefits:

• Career – Enhanced employability, Career advancement, Industry adaptability, and Increased innovation.
• Wellbeing – Mental stimulation, Personal fulfilment, and Stress reduction.
• Health – Cognitive health, Emotional health, and healthy habits.
• Relationships – Improved communication skills, Social connections, Empathy and understanding.
• General Life– Adaptation to change, broaden perspectives, increased creativity, and financial benefits.

Lifelong learning fosters a more fulfilled, adaptable, and resilient individual capable of navigating the complexities of modern life.

Now, it’s your turn to create your lifelong learning plan. Please commit to doing just one thing NOW. The sooner you take action after reading this article, the higher your odds of implementing the information.

It could be as simple as putting a note in your schedule to make a lifelong learning plan before you sleep tonight.

Special Note:

Our Executive Coaching Service ensures that clients’ Lifelong Learning Plans are well thought out. We are determined to have a high percentage of learning directed at them becoming masters in one central area of their lives.

Join my NLP for Modern Leaders and Communicators Workshop starting July 19th, 2024. Now is the perfect time to begin your lifelong learning behaviour.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Mahatma Gandhi

Paul Simos is an accomplished Executive Life Coach, Health Coach, and Certified Trainer. His fundamental belief about his clients frames how they work together: They already have everything they need to succeed. His role as a coach is stimulating and challenging his clients to unlock their successful beliefs, skills, and behaviour patterns. LinkedIn.

Resources:

1) Complimentary Powerful Coaching Conversation – Free discovery session

2) NLP For Modern Leaders & Communicators – July 2024 Workshop

3) 10 Situations That Call For A Coach – Newsletter