Unfortunately after reaching a certain point, achieving some goals, and going through some hard experiences, we start believing that we know it all, we learnt everything about life and that we need no further education.
So why does this belief develop?
Ego
Without us noticing, our ego grows. Ego is directly proportional to: age, experience and success; whenever any of them grows, unfortunately ego grows, especially success! Robin Sharma said it best: “Nothing fails like success”. People who succeed and become arrogant enough to take this success for granted without stretching, innovating or striving to become better than who they were yesterday; fall in the trap of ego; which becomes the barrier between them and their own growth and they eventually fade away.
Ultra successful people know this very well: continuous learning and development is not negotiable. They know that there’s always more to know, and the more they get to know the more they realize they still don’t know.
Benjamin Franklin once said: “Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75”
Perception
There’s a saying: “You always see the world, the way you are, not the way world is”; we live life the way we perceive it. When you unconsciously stop allowing yourself to learn new things, your perception about life pauses, doesn’t change. As if you decided to see the world from the very same point of view for the rest of your life regardless your current age. That’s a huge risk! I’m not saying absorb anything you come across without filtration or analysis, but also make sure your mind filters are not opportunity-blockers. It’s a huge risk to intentionally choose & decide to miss upcoming opportunities just because they conflict with your current perception. Revisit your percepetion about life every once in a while, make sure it’s objective, unbiased and positive.
Benjamin Franklin once said: “Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75”, avoid becoming one of this group of people. Be always excited about life; believe that life is a mystery that’s still going to unfold a lot of new experiences for you. As kids we used to feel that there’s more to discover, and that’s what kept life interesting. When we grow up, we tend to think that there’s nothing more to discover – mistakenly believing that we already know everything – and that’s when our lives become overwhelmingly boring.
“The beginning of the end is to think you know everything.”
Prejudging
Don’t prejudge your future based on your past. A victory, a couple of failures and some heartbreaks do not make you a life expert for God’s sake. Learn from the experience, but don’t get hunted by the story behind the experience. The only school you will never graduate from as long as you’re breathing is the school of life, so you better remain a humble student and allow yourself to learn from anything you might come across or anyone you might meet. The beginning of the end is to think you know everything.
Now, how can I grow and avoid aging? How can I become a continuous learner? Eight ways to become a continuous learner and maneuver around the beginning of the end:
-
Develop an eager to learn attitude, become curious to know more about any new subject you come across.
-
Believe that if you don’t continuously learn you will be left behind as the world is rapidly changing and new trends are born every day in all fields, and what you know will become obsolete.
-
Everyone you meet is an expert in a subject you aren’t aware of. Listen more than you speak, as when you speak you only repeat information you already know, you learn nothing new. Listen .. and ask questions.
-
Share everything you know with the people around you. Sharing allows you to empty your mind from the information congestion, focus on what’s important, and free more space for new knowledge to flow in.
-
Don’t think twice when you come across a course that is relevant to one of your interests, enroll yourself right away. It’s both a learning opportunity and a networking platform.
-
Whenever you’re in a learning event, whether it’s a corporate training you did not choose, or a course you’re attending by yourself, make sure you’re taking notes. Writing makes you understand more than just sitting and listening. A lot of people after college forget how they used to take notes, which is a terrible mistake. I have seen Gurus & Icons in different fields who are still humble enough – despite all what they have achieved – to take notes after instructors and speakers who are either younger or have less experience than themselves.
-
Tough times are only there to be followed by glorious moments, but you have to learn from them OBJECTIVELY. Every situation you go through in life is meant to happen for a reason, to add to you a certain value, quality or skill, nothing is random or bad luck. Learn from the experience, but don’t get hunted by the story behind the experience. Move on. Read more about that in this article: The Evolution of an Expert.
- Read.
I love learning. I love having fruitful conversations with inspiring people. I love attending learning events and sitting at front rows. I love travelling and discovering. I love doing the things I fear. I love sharing my experiences. All this makes me feel I’m growing younger and that there’s still a lot ahead to learn and apply. Always make sure that you’re growing, not aging.
