My career and life secret: Never stop learning
With this blog I start sharing my personal secrets to own your career. The first secret is: Never stop learning! I call this series GLOW UP!
Throughout my career I have been learning new skills and exploring new areas, some of them I could directly use in my d2d work and other skills helped me to become the person I am now. Let me share with you why I think Lifelong Learning Leads to Success, and why some of us stop learning, I´ll explain three ways to become a lifelong learner and in the end, I’ll share with you some of the mayor learnings I had.
Why Lifelong Learning Leads to Success
Whether personally or professionally, success is something that people strive to achieve their entire lives. Since success looks different for everyone, finding it can be a challenge that you can only overcome through hard work.
In a world that is constantly changing at an incredible pace, becoming a lifelong learner can boost your chances of success.
Builds Your Skillset
The more skills you have, the better chance you have to become and stay employed when it comes to the workplace. Discovering new learning opportunities is the key to increasing your skillset.
If you are a lifelong learner, you can increase your level of knowledge and skills to the point where you are more marketable to future employers. In addition, if you are already employed, your potential for advancement is more likely if you take the time to learn new skills.
It is important to keep in mind that you should continue pursuing knowledge even if you get promoted to a significant position. This is especially true in a marketplace where things change so rapidly.
Increases Your Ability to Communicate
Communication is a key factor in creating the success you desire in your personal or professional life. This is because it allows you to send information out into the world and understand the world around you.
If you are a lifelong learner, you tend to gain knowledgeable information about various topics that you can then communicate effectively with others. Being seen as a source of valuable information is a trait that many successful people hold.
Good communication effectively comes from having confidence in various areas of interest. Additionally, when you are familiar with a topic, you will convey the information so that people will understand and can apply it directly.
Creates Opportunities
If you ask most people why they are not taking risks in either their personal or professional lives, they will probably say they are afraid of failing. This is especially true in the world that is moving at lightning speed.
Lifelong learning creates opportunities that you might not have had the opportunity to partake in prior. This is because by acquiring new knowledge and skills, you may seek out new career opportunities.
Employers are typically looking for people that have versatile abilities that will, in turn, be better for the bottom line of the company. People who are willing to continuously learn new skills are extremely attractive to businesses.
Overall, understanding that lifelong learning leads to success is vital for anyone wanting to boost their success. Taking the time to learn new things is a sure-fire way to show others that you are a great resource for knowledge.
Why Do We Stop Learning?
Many people choose to stop expanding their knowledge once they finish high school or college. They believe that they have learned everything they need to know now.
Lifelong learning is important to a well-rounded life, but people still don't prioritize it. So, the question is, why?
The Switch from Student to Expert
Many people who have just graduated from high school or college believe that they have the knowledge needed to succeed. After all, they have spent most of their lives thus far in school seeking it.
Just think about how many times someone lands their first job in the field of their choosing, and because they have the latest knowledge, they have a tendency to believe that they know best. They feel like they are some kind of expert and that everyone should be listening to them.
These people stop learning because of their hubris.
Other times people have worked so long and have all the credentials they need that they decide to stop learning. That might have been the case one day, but it could be bad news in today's rapidly moving world.
Stuck in a Rut
Life happens. This cannot be avoided no matter how hard you try to slow things down. People tend to get busy with their careers, friends, and families - much to the detriment of seeking out new knowledge.
For some people, the thought of cramming one more thing into their daily routine will cause them to want to scream. This is often the case in society today, where people are busy and running around tackling work, home, kids, and all that those things entail.
Your brain tends to get stuck in a rut when it comes to doing the same thing day in and day out without much thought or change. When this happens, it is hard to break out of the daily habits and find time to learn something new.
Complacency
The truth is, no matter how much you know that learning something new is beneficial, the thought of actually following through is overwhelming. Many people get complacent with the status quo and refuse to step out of their comfort zone.
This often happens when you get into a career or job, and suddenly life seems good. Why rock the boat when it moves along at a steady pace and gives you the comforts you need?
At the end of the day, it is important to keep in mind that choosing to stop learning is a choice you are free to make. Whether you willingly give up your right to expand your expertise or just get lazy, you will want to remember that knowledge is power. When you decide to stop actively learning, you choose to give up that power over your life.
3 Ways to Become a Lifelong Learner
A lifelong learner is someone who sets out to learn something new each and every day. Becoming a lifelong learner is good for your health and increases your chance of achieving success in life. However, becoming a lifelong learner isn't always easy. Below are some ways you, too, can become a lifelong learner.
1. Create a Learning Center for Yourself
Learning will be difficult if you have to search for something to learn every day! Make learning easier by creating a learning center where you can learn daily. This can be a place in your house where you keep whatever you are working on or a section of your phone that has a learning app and some podcasts!
The point is, the learning center will look different for everyone, but you want to make a space for yourself to learn. This way, your learning is accessible and ready to go, and all you have to do is go there!
2. Try New Things
Are you struggling to think of ideas for your learning center? You aren't alone! Many people want to learn but aren't sure just where they should start! You should start by trying something (or multiple things) new! Head to your local gym and sign up for a few classes. Go online and look up something you've always wanted to do! Chances are there are communities about these activities that can help you know where to start. You can also just download a language learning app or something simple to begin. Always wanted to learn Spanish? Give it a shot now! You can always learn something new later!
3. Set Goals
Part of becoming a lifelong learner is to set goals that you will be able to maintain long term. This means you may need to start out small, then add to your goals as you go. For example, you could start by visiting your learning center once per week, then slowly increase until you visit your learning center every day!
You also should have some goals that pertain to new hobbies. You could make it a goal to try a new class at the gym each week. If art is more your thing, try a new art medium each week—whatever it takes to keep your mind learning!
Overall, if you apply the above three methods to your life, you’ll find yourself becoming a lifelong learner in no time at all. Not to mention you will also find that you suddenly know a lot more things than you did before! Happy learning!
What did I learn so far?
Let me share some of the major areas I did explore:
During my studies of clothing engineering I studied as well for some time in St. Petersburg, to learn the language and the culture.
After my studies of clothing engineering I wanted to expand my thinking and increased my industry knowledge in obtaining a Master’s Degree in Marketing.
I learned to overcome my inner shyness being forced to present products in German, French and English to all-male audiences in the construction business.
I learned to ride a motorcycle at the age of 35 to better understand my customers back then.
I learned super-efficient time management as a mother of 2 – aligning with my husband for both to have a fulfilling work and family life.
I also am a certified and accredited Yoga Teacher (as well for Trapez and Gravity yoga) and certified Breath Coach.
I also learned to play the piano (well, the basics at least), which has been a childhood dream of mine.
I am a career coach and becoming a leadership coach.
I did learn how to set up online courses and build a webpage with completely new tools and mindset.
Lately, new work and agile work are a new set up of working which led me to change my role from product creation to product area owner for creation processes.
These are some areas with either a certificate and/or a larger impact on my life and how to approach and live it. It always has been challenging – but was never without reward either, helping me progress personally and professionally. ….
If you are ready to position and reinvent yourself but don't know where to start, let me help you. Here is a link to book a discovery session with me to find out if I am the right coach for you.
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