Happy Earth Day! I’m living a greener life today than I did one year ago. I hope you are too.
Outstanding performance is one of the keys to personal and professional success that I discuss in Straight Talk for Success. If you want to become an outstanding performer, you need to do three things. 1) Stay on top of your game by becoming a lifelong learner. 2) Set and achieve high goals. 3) Get organized. Manage your time, life and stress well.
I subscribe to the Mind Tools ezine. Yesterday I received an e mail from the Mind tools folks that posed an interesting and provocative question: “What have you learned today, Bud?”
This is a great question to ask yourself every day. The half life of knowledge is getting shorter and shorter every day. If you’re not learning, you’re not standing still, you’re falling behind. Lifelong learning is necessary for your personal and professional success. There’s no two ways about it.
I believe that my love of learning, and my lifelong pursuit of knowledge, is one of the keys to my personal and professional success. I am always learning, and always welcome opportunities to learn new things – whether directly related to my work or not.
What do you do to keep on learning?
I read – blogs, ezines books, magazines, newspapers. I have a huge collection of books on a variety of subjects. These books are the first place I turn when I am looking for information to post on my blog, when I am working with my executive coaching clients, when I am preparing a speech and when I am designing a training program. If I don’t find what I want or need in my books, I go to Google.
There are other things you can do to keep learning. Attend seminars. Join the major groups or trade associations for your industry. Attend their meetings and participate. Volunteer for committee work. Become known locally in your field. Take a class at your local university. Use your company’s tuition reimbursement program to get a free Masters degree.
If you want to become a professional success, your education should never stop. There are many ways to keep learning. Decide which ones work for you, and then follow through.
By the way, today I learned something about mastering my media image. This is important for me these days because recently I have been asked to appear as a guest on several podcasts, internet radio shows, webinars and on line videos.
I read a piece in Executive Leadership on managing media image. The author, Paul Argenti, presented some great suggestions on how to be a better guest on these types of shows. I had a basic understanding of a lot of what he had to say, but it was good to see his ideas presented in an easy to use, six bullet point format.
Again, what have you learned today? Try to learn (or relearn) something new every day.
The common sense point here is simple. Successful people are outstanding performers. Outstanding performers are technically competent. They remain technically competent because they are lifelong learners. Lifelong learning is a prerequisite for success in today’s highly competitive world. If you’re not learning, you’re not standing still, you’re falling behind. Make it a point to learn something new every day. You’ll be glad you did.
That’s my take on lifelong learning and success. What’s yours? Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us. As always, thanks for reading.
Bud
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