If we aren't learning, we aren't growing...

If we aren’t learning, we aren’t growing. It’s really that simple.

Many people believe in this phenomena that once you leave school or finish education, at 16, 18 or 21 years old, you suddenly just stop learning. Crazy right! You’ve just spent your entire existence learning how to learn and the benefits of knowledge and then suddenly, people just stop learning.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The future depends on what we do in the present". So why are people giving up on this ‘thing’ that we have such easy and inexpensive access too, so quickly in their lives? Of course, the society we live in contributes to this, but let’s not play the blame game here. Effort and motivation are two very strong factors that play a huge part but, wanting to learn is the most important.

To some people, this might not sound like fun, but to me it’s amazing, I love learning. I love to read and to write, I love to go to seminars and workshops, I love to listen to podcasts and videos, I love to hear recordings from successful people in my niche and see visuals of the work they have produced.

Why do I do this?

1. To better myself
2. To feel motivated
3. To understand
4. To satisfy curiosity
5. To increase independence
6.  To increase efficiency

Learning is the foundational status of all skills and there are different types too: visual, logical, aural, verbal and physical. These can be self-paced or traditional – most people think that self-paced is great but it can actually be a lot harder, as the only accountability you have is to yourself and for some people that isn’t enough. Traditional learning refers to the system that most of us have been through in school, college or university.

I also wanted to bring your attention to a different way of learning and for me the most powerful. Obviously I've stated above, that I love reading and podcasts and video’s and the list goes on but, isn’t there just something more gripping about real-life ‘stuff’. For example, I never knew what it actually takes to run a business however, I've been fortunate enough to experience daily snippets of it for the last 4 months through my job and through the honesty of my boss, Kiki Stanton.  Similarly, I've never purchased or renovated a house and through the hard work and dedication of my boyfriend, Calum, I get to watch that unfold on a day-to-day basis.

This ‘stuff’ that we hear about or read about or watch a video on, is never really fully absorbed until you live and breathe it.

Here is a quote that I found, which I think sums up learning:

‘We learn, when we want an outcome that we won’t have if we don’t change what we know.’

Read that again - We learn, when we want an outcome that we won’t have if we don’t change what we know. It's great and it makes so much sense. We won't have what we want if we don't know how to get it, however, if we learn how to get it then we can have it.

From that, I reflect and remind myself that I have to continuously learn to be successful because this self-growth and development is key to living a fulfilling life and successful career. Learning also makes you very adaptable, which means in turn you’ll become irreplaceable to whoever is around you - Family, friends, work team or sports team. This personal development increases happiness and guarantees us serenity from within.

So finally, the number 1 thing I have learnt: It’s ok to make mistakes. It really is. Whether that’s in your work-life or relationships that you are in or in the typical ‘stuff’ mentioned above, making mistakes is part of being human and from them, we LEARN. Every time we make a mistake no matter how big or how small, as long as we reflect and try not to repeat the same process (although this may be necessary for us to be made aware of what’s going wrong) then we will improve behaviour, technique, skill, efficiency, motivation, knowledge… I could go on.

Thank you for taking the time to read and digest my thoughts on how important learning is and I hope in return, you’ve learned something whilst being here.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the education, that I have been lucky enough to have access to. I don’t need to remind you that there are children who have never experienced a day at school in their lives and adults who can’t read or write, in multiple countries around the world. Having an education is vital for an individual’s personal development!