Easy Tips for Learning New Skills
Self-Education Can Often Become the Most Powerful Form of Education
Feb 10, 2009
For the motivated achiever, learning doesn’t end with a college degree or high school diploma. The person who is consistently learning new skills and expanding their educational comfort zone, is the person who is achieving goals and making their dreams for the future a reality.
Learning can come in many different forms:
- Formal education
- Learning from experience
- Reading articles and books
- Watching educational television programs
- Hands-on and on the job experiences
- Mentoring with someone who has been there and is willing to share
Expanding your educational comfort zone means expanding your ability to aim higher and achieve more.
Formal vs. Self-Education
Formal Education – is one form of learning new skills. Remember this, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison never finished school. Benjamin Franklin had only two years of formal education. Formal education is wonderful but, if you don’t have a degree or diploma it is not an excuse for not achieving your goals.
Self-education – many of today’s self-made millionaires had no formal business education. They taught themselves the skills necessary to make their goals of success reality. You can do the same thing. How many hours a week do you allocate to learning new skills and learning new ways to change old habits? How valuable is learning to your lifestyle? Just remember this, stagnant water isn’t healthy water – it’s the ever moving stream that creates a healthy and self-sustaining environment. Are you stagnant or moving forward?
Are You Moving Forward?
Here are five questions to ask yourself:
1. To move forward in my life and achieve my goals, are there new skills in which I should become more proficient?
2. Is there somewhere locally or on the Internet where I can learn these skills? Are there seminars to attend, meetings to visit or webinars to attend?
3. How long will it take me to learn these new skills? Am I willing to make the commitment to my continued learning and growing?
4. How can I make sure that I keep my self-education fun and enjoyable? Should I form a MasterMind group? Should I seek out a mentor? Should I join a book club?
5. What should I do first? How soon am I willing to get started?
Three More Tips
This may be the perfect time to take a field trip to your local library or bookstore. Research all the books, magazines and audio materials available in the skill building areas you find most interesting. Start by making a list of those items that will take you forward and that have particular interest for you.
Form a month-to-month lesson plan of self-education. Is there a logical and sequential order for achieving your goals? Decide where to begin and set your self-education start date.
At the end of each week or month, recap your learning experiences. Keep track of how your new skills are supporting you toward achieving your goals. You’ll be surprised how much progress you can make in a short period of time when you’re motivated and focused!
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