Learning and Growing
“We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.”
-- Peter Drucker
One of the most startling things I have ever read was a study on reading by a publishing firm called The Jenkins Group. In that study were these findings:
• 1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
• 42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
• 80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
• 70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
The thing I found so startling was that so many people stop learning after they finish school, like a diploma means you have learned all you need to know. The truth is that formal education (which by the way I am very much in favor of), is only the beginning. It is as Albert Einstein said, “The only think that interferes with my learning is my education.”
I would like to tell you of four key things that you must do to keep learning and to keep growing. Success will always elude the person who neglects learning in his life. But for the person who understands and values learning there is a wealth of opportunities awaiting him or her. Jack Welch, former chairman of GE said, “An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate completive advantage.” I believe you can change the word, “organization” to “person” and have the same truth.
Never Stop Learning.
There will never be a time in your life when you stop learning. Once we stop, we are dead, and yes, there are some dead still walking around. We resist learning because we see it as a formal, text book type of learning, but you can learn all the time. Learning is more of collecting experiences and processing them. It is a deliberate act and one you must knowingly do, but it is the most exciting thing you will do. Abigail Adams said, “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.”
Be a Student More Than a Teacher.
Too often we have this desire to show people how much we know. We always have to be the one giving the instructions or directing the way. Take time and be a student for a change. Remember that everyone has something they can teach you. Do not be caught up thinking you know it all. I read a great statement by Dr. John Maxwell that addressed this. He said, “The greatest obstacle to discovery isn’t ignorance or lack of intelligence. It’s the illusion of knowledge.”
“A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people.”
-- Frederick Douglass
Be in an Environment Where You Can Grow.
There are tools and resources around you every day that you can go to help you learn. Things that stimulate your mind and cause you to think. Be around books, music, and art. Talk with people who ask rich questions and are open to learn from the world around them. Take time to think and ask your self the deep questions of life. Pray and read the Bible to find real answers, not just comforting words. I have found this to be some great advice: “Never let a day pass without looking ay some perfect work of art, hearing some great piece of music and reading, in part, some great book.” – Goethe.
Surround Yourself with People Better Than You.
You will never grow if the only people you associate with are on your level or below. A tennis champion will only practice with someone who is better than they are. That way they have to stretch and improve with every match. So it is in life. When you are with people who are better at their job than you are, who are more intelligent than you are or who have had more life experience than you have, you will grow. Don’t try to impress people, learn from them. Lord Chesterfield put it this way, “Wear you learning like your watch, in a private pocket; and do not pull it out, and strike it, merely to show that you have one.”
Put these lessons to the test. Try them and see if you do not learn more. If you fail to learn you will learn to fail. Or in the words of W. Edwards Deming, “Learning is not compulsory…neither is survival.”
-- Peter Drucker
One of the most startling things I have ever read was a study on reading by a publishing firm called The Jenkins Group. In that study were these findings:
• 1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
• 42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
• 80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
• 70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
The thing I found so startling was that so many people stop learning after they finish school, like a diploma means you have learned all you need to know. The truth is that formal education (which by the way I am very much in favor of), is only the beginning. It is as Albert Einstein said, “The only think that interferes with my learning is my education.”
I would like to tell you of four key things that you must do to keep learning and to keep growing. Success will always elude the person who neglects learning in his life. But for the person who understands and values learning there is a wealth of opportunities awaiting him or her. Jack Welch, former chairman of GE said, “An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate completive advantage.” I believe you can change the word, “organization” to “person” and have the same truth.
Never Stop Learning.
There will never be a time in your life when you stop learning. Once we stop, we are dead, and yes, there are some dead still walking around. We resist learning because we see it as a formal, text book type of learning, but you can learn all the time. Learning is more of collecting experiences and processing them. It is a deliberate act and one you must knowingly do, but it is the most exciting thing you will do. Abigail Adams said, “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.”
Be a Student More Than a Teacher.
Too often we have this desire to show people how much we know. We always have to be the one giving the instructions or directing the way. Take time and be a student for a change. Remember that everyone has something they can teach you. Do not be caught up thinking you know it all. I read a great statement by Dr. John Maxwell that addressed this. He said, “The greatest obstacle to discovery isn’t ignorance or lack of intelligence. It’s the illusion of knowledge.”
“A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people.”
-- Frederick Douglass
Be in an Environment Where You Can Grow.
There are tools and resources around you every day that you can go to help you learn. Things that stimulate your mind and cause you to think. Be around books, music, and art. Talk with people who ask rich questions and are open to learn from the world around them. Take time to think and ask your self the deep questions of life. Pray and read the Bible to find real answers, not just comforting words. I have found this to be some great advice: “Never let a day pass without looking ay some perfect work of art, hearing some great piece of music and reading, in part, some great book.” – Goethe.
Surround Yourself with People Better Than You.
You will never grow if the only people you associate with are on your level or below. A tennis champion will only practice with someone who is better than they are. That way they have to stretch and improve with every match. So it is in life. When you are with people who are better at their job than you are, who are more intelligent than you are or who have had more life experience than you have, you will grow. Don’t try to impress people, learn from them. Lord Chesterfield put it this way, “Wear you learning like your watch, in a private pocket; and do not pull it out, and strike it, merely to show that you have one.”
Put these lessons to the test. Try them and see if you do not learn more. If you fail to learn you will learn to fail. Or in the words of W. Edwards Deming, “Learning is not compulsory…neither is survival.”
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