Why You Should Become A Lifelong Learner

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I believe everyone has heard of the term “Lifelong Learner.” But the question becomes: Are you a lifelong learner?

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I am sure if I surveyed those reading this blog post 90% or more would answer, “yes!” I don’t dispute that each of you learn something every year, every month, or even every week. But are you intentionally learning something everyday?

In this day and age with the internet and so much information at our finger tips we are able to answer almost any question in a matter of minutes or seconds. We don’t need to go find an encyclopedia on a shelf and flip through pages hoping the answer lies within a book.

My family and I make  it a point to eat dinner every night together. It is a time to for us to connect at the end of our busy days. During this time one of the questions I always ask my kids is “What did you learn in school today?”

The answer I typically receive is “Nothing, Dad.” My response is always “you had to have learned something otherwise what was the point of going to school today.” Then I go through each kids day with them to help them understand they in fact did learn something.

Learning is not just for kids. As we all get older and finish our time in school we need to be more intentional about learning. Are you looking at learning something everyday? Ask yourself daily: What did I learn today? What do I want to learn today? What should I be learning in the near future?

  • Learning keeps your mind active. By learning new things every day it will bring about new questions and subjects you will want to learn about.
  • Learning makes you more interesting. Because you are learning new things everyday you will have a wider breadth of knowledge to draw on when you are interacting with others.
  • Learning something new can improve your life and/or current situation. Learning something new may spawn a new business idea, way to make additional money or save money, solve a problem at work, etc.

Learning can take shape in a variety of ways. Reading, classes, training, audio books, podcasts, subscribing to internet newsletters, watching a documentary or show on television and the list goes on and on. Check out these webpages to get you started:

Share your thoughts: Why else should you become a lifelong learner? What are you doing to learn intentionally? What awesome resources do you have to share?