Be an eternal learner

A truly uneducated person is not one who cannot read or write but one who is unable to be taught, who cannot unlearn and who does not possess the ability to learn again. To do well in your career and life, you have to learn something new and re-learn something old every day. You have to be an incessant learner.

Here are some ways keep the fire of learning kindled in you:

·   Set clever goals and celebrate on achieving them:  You must have clever objectives – those that are easily attainable and which, can be celebrated on achievement. This will make your career journey more fulfilling. These goals ought to be based on the new skills that you acquire. Needless to state, you will have to continuously evaluate and re-evaluate them and fine-tune your operational methodology so that the path that leads into your future is free of potholes. The process of learning can be real fun if you have power over its very backdrop, speed, themes and modalities. Each and every bit of knowledge acquired is wisdom gained. You should take pleasure in your career journey and that will be possible if you benefit from it.

·   Add on to your qualifications & interests:  Being spoken to by experts is an enriching experience as it widens your horizon and broadens your perspectives. You must therefore, enroll for courses of instructions, work hard on them and participate in healthy discussions therein. You can also take up membership of professional clubs and attend conferences. You will find that participation in such activities will serve to recharge you and your fascinations; and make you better geared to face competition and brave challenges. The point to remember is that you should not be an inert learner; on the contrary, you should be a proactive and upbeat one. While at learning anything, do not leave an issue midway without comprehending its basics. The oomph surrounding you should be used to improve yourself.

·   Be an avid reader and observer:  Reading is crucial for career advancement; your reading preferences have to be balanced between business masterpieces, specialist books, professional magazines and light reading material. As a habit, reading will make you more adept at your work and hence you will be able to obtain additional meaning for your life and career. It will also help you to become reasonably conversant with aspects that do not fall within the gamut of your career. Since most skills are transferable, you will find them possible for absorption in your job sometime or the other. Another fall-out is that you will feel more contented. But your knowledge should not be confined to you; it must be shared with others. You could post articles on a blog or contribute to journals. Alternatively, you could also jot down your observations for future reference.   

·   Share your experiences & apply your knowledge on ground:  Interaction with others on a subject is the best method to learn about it. You may think that you know quite a lot, but the doubts that cross your mind while learning could well baffle you. It is not necessary that you open a learning centre where you take classes; you could well share your experience and knowledge during routine interactions or meetings of professional associations of whom you are a member. You may have awareness and understanding; and you could well be sharing them with others. But your knowledge is of no use if you do not apply it on ground. If you are not apprehensive of executing new ideas with your freshly-acquired skills, you will find that your life and career will stand transformed. Your ingenuity will stand you in good stead.

·   Look for a guru:  Attempting to go alone may pose some problems. But if you have someone whom you can bank upon for advice and encouragement, your task of learning becomes easy. You must identify a guru for yourself – somebody who shares your opinions and concerns; somebody who has time to spare for you; and somebody whom you hold in high esteem and whose principles you revere.

They say that the entire world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind and education consists mainly of what you unlearn. The very purpose of learning is advancement; and our minds can continue growing as we continue to live. Remember that learning is a treasure that will follow you everywhere.