Lifelong Learning
A matric, a tertiary or professional qualification may have been your entry ticket into your profession, but as an entrepreneur, what is vitally important is the learning that happens AFTER your formal training. In the words of the wise Jim Rohn …
By Andy Hofmeyr, ActionCoach Business Coaching
“Never wish your life was easier … wish that you were better”
“Work harder on yourself than you do on your job”
How do you as an entrepreneur become better? How do you work harder on yourself?
You need to embrace lifelong learning.
Lifelong learning is voluntary. It is ongoing. It won’t happen unless YOU take ownership of it and make it an integral part of your life, of who you are. Here are a few practical tips to help you along this journey:
#GROWTHMINDSET
You have probably heard a variation of the phrase “There is no failure – you win, or you learn”. Let’s be clear – failing at something does NOT automatically equate to learning from it. You need to step back, take ownership of your failure, and critically look at it through the lens of a #growthmindset to discover what learning you can glean from the setback.
BAN THE PHRASE ‘I KNOW’
I’m sure those of you with teenagers are familiar with the phrase ‘I know’. The fact is that as adults you still use this phrase, you just don’t say it out loud. When someone is talking to you and you say ‘I know’ in your heads and fold your arms, you stop paying attention to what the other person is saying. Doing this cut, you off from any potential learning. To get the most out of learning you need to ban the phrase ‘I know’ and replace it with ‘Isn’t that interesting?’ as this prime you to look for the learning. Ralph Waldo Emerson said “In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.
EXPECT BFO’S
A BFO is a Blinding Flash of the Obvious. It’s when some piece of learning hits you and you realize you have already come across this learning before, but have forgotten it, or did nothing with it. Expect BFOs to happen and use the realization to do something with it.
DAILY DECISION
To really embrace Lifelong Learning, you need to commit to it afresh every day. Try this as one of your daily affirmations “I am learning every day and becoming the best version of me”. Saying this affirmation every morning will remind you of why you are doing this and set you up in the right frame of mind to be alert to any learning opportunities that cross your path. If you are striving to become the best version of you, your business, your team, and your family will benefit.
BUSINESS BOOKCLUB
If you enjoy reading, then look for a Business Book Club that meets at a time and venue that suits you. And if you can’t find one, do what I did and start one yourself. Reading a physical printed copy of a book is not the only option – you can read an electronic version or listen to it on the likes of Audible. There are several advantages of belonging to a monthly Business Book Club including:
- As you are meeting with others to share your learnings from the book, you are more likely to finish reading the book!
- Meeting with other entrepreneurs who are also wanting to become better is uplifting.
- Discussing the book with others helps cement the learning.
BE X DO = HAVE
When you think of what you want for your businesses, your business goals or the “HAVE”, the odds are that your thoughts immediately turn to what you must DO. You also need to stop and think “Who is the person I need to Become, who can do what is necessary to get what I want to have?” Seek out people who display some of the traits of the person you want to become. Mix with them. Learn from them.
LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO TEACH WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
One way of really getting to grips with your knowledge is to teach it. That is when you find out whether you truly understand the subject or not!
DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN
Look at your business where it is now and where you want it to be at a point in the future, be that in 90 days, 1 year, 5 years down the road, then ask yourself what the most important area is you need to learn and master for your business to meet its goals. For some it may mean learning how to become a better leader, for some it may mean learning how to prospect, for others it could mean becoming more financially literate.
EXTEND YOUR COMFORT ZONE
I think comfort zones are a good thing. They allow us to function well with minimal effort, which means less stress, and greater productivity. I do believe though that you want to be extending your comfort zones, and the way to do this is to tackle something just beyond your current comfort zone, to learn and master it so that your comfort zone expands to include this activity.
A NOTE OF CAUTION
Once you embrace the mindset of lifelong learning, you can really get into it. Be careful though that in your hunger for knowledge, learning does not become a source of procrastination. You can become so focused on the next thing to master, that you fail to take any action. In the words of David Schwartz, the author of our last Book Club book, The Magic of Thinking Big, “Knowledge is only potential power. Knowledge is power only when used …”
In conclusion, if you are an entrepreneur wanting to build a better business, you need to embrace Lifelong Learning. I think Brad Sugars, the founder of ActionCOACH Business Coaching, sums it up very well when he said: “Where you’ll be in five years depends on the BOOKS you read, the PEOPLE you associate with and the ACTIONS you take”.
