Last week I wrote about the importance of continuing education. But how do you continue your education when you already have a full life?
The good news is that continuing education does not necessarily mean earning another degree, sitting in a classroom for years, or writing term papers at two o’clock in the morning. It means intentionally exposing yourself to ideas, people, and experiences that help you become better than you were before.
It also requires more than buying books you never read. Apparently, knowledge does not seep into your brain simply because a book is sitting on your nightstand. I have checked.
Here are six practical ways to keep learning and growing.
1. Identify what you need to learn next
Do not begin by asking, “What course should I take?” Begin by asking, “Where do I most need to grow?”
Perhaps you need to communicate more effectively, become a better listener, handle conflict constructively, strengthen your confidence, lead more persuasively, or bring greater balance to your life.
Choose one area that would make a meaningful difference in your work or relationships. Then concentrate your learning there.
Otherwise, continuing education can become intellectual window-shopping. You browse a few ideas, admire several possibilities, and go home without changing anything.
Ask yourself: What one skill, if I improved it during the next ninety days, would produce the greatest payoff in my life?
That answer gives your education a purpose.
2. Put your growth on your calendar and in your budget
Most people say they value personal growth. Their calendars and checkbooks occasionally tell a different story.
Years ago, a woman named Eileen attended one of my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary programs. She told me, “I thought if I could spend lots of dollars on fishing trips, I could sprout my wings and invest in myself.”
I loved her honesty. And for the record, I have nothing against fishing. But Eileen recognized that she was willing to spend money on recreation, so she should also be willing to invest in her own growth.
She did—and later told me how much the experience improved her work, relationships, and outlook on life.
Growth rarely happens accidentally. Set aside time each week to read, listen, reflect, or attend a class. Establish an annual learning budget. If you wait until you “find” the time or money, you may wait forever.
You do not find time for growth. You make time for it.
3. Use structured learning from great teachers
Books, seminars, courses, podcasts, and online programs can introduce you to ideas you might never discover on your own. They allow you to benefit from years of someone else’s research and experience sometimes in a single afternoon.
But choose carefully. We have access to more information than ever before, and not all of it deserves access to your brain. Some of it is insightful. Some is merely recycled. And some should have remained in the presenter’s basement.
Ask people you respect which books, courses, and teachers have produced lasting changes in their lives. Look for credible experts who combine proven knowledge with real-world experience—and who show you how to apply what they teach.
The goal is not to consume more information. It is to find the right information and use it.
4. Learn personally from champions
Some of your greatest teachers will never write a book or stand behind a lectern. They may work down the hall, live next door, attend your church, or sit across from you at lunch.
Find people who are achieving the kinds of results you want and study them. Watch how they communicate, prepare, make decisions, recover from setbacks, and treat others. Then invite them to coffee or lunch and ask:
- What do you know now that you wish you had known earlier?
- What mistake taught you the most?
- Which habit has contributed most to your success?
Most successful people are surprisingly willing to share their wisdom when they sense sincere interest.
You do not have to learn every lesson the hard way or reinvent every wheel. Find someone whose wheel is already rolling smoothly and ask how they built it.
5. Learn from mistakes, especially your own
You can learn from champions, but you can also learn from people who made poor decisions. Find out what they did and consider doing something else.
More importantly, learn from your own failures.
I have enjoyed some wonderful successes during my life and career. I have also experienced painful disappointments and made decisions I would not make again. Some of my most valuable education came with no classroom, no textbook, and no diploma. It came with bruises.
The school of hard knocks can be a very good school. Unfortunately, the tuition is high. So if you must take one of its courses, make sure you do not have to repeat it.
After a disappointment, ask:
- What happened?
- What part did I play?
- What warning signs did I overlook?
- What will I do differently next time?
A mistake becomes wasted pain only when you refuse to learn from it.
6. Turn every lesson into action
Education is not measured by how many books you own, seminars you attend, or podcasts you download. It is measured by what you do differently because of what you learned.
Take notes—but do not stop there. Review them, identify one important idea, and decide exactly how you will use it. Put the action on your calendar. Tell someone what you intend to do. Then evaluate the results.
Use this simple process:
Learn it. Apply it. Reflect on it. Repeat it.
That is how information becomes transformation.
That learn-apply-reflect process is why I created NEXT-LEVEL YOU. I distilled forty years of research, teaching, coaching, and real-life experience into twelve essentials six for Personal Peak Performance and six for Thriving Relationships.
Every live class stands on its own and emphasizes practical application, so you can join anytime and never be behind. You will gain proven content, a supportive community, and encouragement to use what you learn.
ACTION:
Choose one of these six strategies and begin this week.
Do not promise yourself that you will “learn more someday.” Decide what you need to learn, select your next step, and put it on your calendar.
School is never out. And that is not bad news.
It means your best days and your greatest growth may still be ahead of you.
Keep learning and growing with NEXT-LEVEL YOU.