Success Habits of Lifelong Learners
One of the most important things you can do to contribute to your success is to become a lifelong learner. Both personally and professionally, there is always something to explore that contributes to your overall growth. Learning is not only fun, but it also paves the way for future success in your workplace and in life.
Lifelong learning, together with success strategies for personal development, will put you on the fast track to achieving everything you want in life. Here are five habits you can implement – starting today!
1. Focus on Your Desired Outcome
The fastest way to achieve success is to visualize what you want, and how to get it. Focus first on the outcome you’d like to achieve, whether that means gaining additional accreditation in your field of expertise or training for a marathon.
Once you know what the desired outcome is, you can set goals to help you get there. Make your goals specific and measurable. You should even make the commitment to write your goals down for a powerful multiplying effect.
2. Experiment with Technology
In the past, the best way to become a lifelong learner was to pick up a book from the local library. Today, there are more resources than ever before right at your fingertips. There are tons of great courses you can take online, degrees you can enroll in from the comfort of your couch, and even opportunities to create a community around Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). Many of the resources you will find online are inexpensive, convenient, and highly-targeted to a specific niche.
3. Stay Laser Focused
Apps and programs available online can make it easier for you to focus on what you want to learn without the pinging distraction of email and instant messengers. RescueTime is one of the best time-tracking apps that also gives you the ability to block websites during your learning time.
This is a great time to metaphorically “clean house” in your office and in your mind. Get rid of distractions that are keeping you from moving forward, whether that means gadgets or clutter in your office or old limiting mindsets. Embrace a learning mindset, and let go of everything you don’t need.
4. Remember to Move
Lifelong learners are dedicated to bettering themselves mentally, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. You also need to get up and move your body if you want to see the tremendous benefits of engaging in learning processes. Taking care of your physical needs by getting the right amount of exercise and rest is just as important as focusing during work time. Once your physical needs are taken care of, you’ll be mentally prepared to embrace learning that might have been a challenge before.
5. Create a Community
You can learn a lot by yourself, but you really start to apply what you learn when you move into a community of other lifelong learners. Whether that means you start attending a club that meets at the local coffee shop, or frequent message boards related to your subject of interest, connecting with other people is essential to having fun, learning and growing.
6. Reward Yourself
Last but not least, behavior that is rewarded gets repeated. Find small ways to give yourself some appreciation for the lifelong learning you’re engaged in, whether thats a small piece of dark chocolate after finishing a chapter in a challenging book, or a small break after working hard for a couple hours.
However you want to grow, these habits will help reinforce your ability to be a lifelong learner. Be clear about what you want to accomplish and how you expect to reach that goal, and commit to finding creative ways to learn, avoid distractions, and create community.
Pick one habit you want to implement immediately, and start applying it today!
