The what, why and when of learning

The what, why and when of learning

Tim Connor

If you are not learning and growing – you are slowly dying – if not physically then mentally, emotionally or spiritually. What does learning have to do with your – body, mind, emotions and spiritual life?  I could go on for pages but let me keep this short and to the point.

Evidence shows that people who have a “life-long learning” philosophy or outlook tend to be more successful, content, happy and healthy over the long term than people who end their learning after high school or college. This isn’t true in all cases, however what do you have to lose to keep learning?  I’m not talking here about filling your mind with endless information available today or even increased knowledge, but the application of knowledge to experience creating wisdom.

The what – There is so much we can learn in life and deciding what has value for us now or in the future can be a challenging task.  I have a friend who is an expert on movies.  Mention the name of a movie going back fifty years and she can give you all of the details.  I recently visited a science museum in Minneapolis and was amazed at the simple facts that have been available for hundreds of years that I was unaware of – what a wonderful experience.

There is career learning, relationship learning and general life learning which includes so many topics.  There is health learning and emotional learning.  There is spiritual learning and learning how to be content and have inner peace. Yes, over the years what was once fact is now often not true, but this shouldn’t prevent us from continuing to expose ourselves to the opportunities that life offers when it comes to learning new information that can contribute to our ability to live life more aware, vibrant and with greater success.

Do you have a daily learning philosophy?  And I’m not talking here about just flowing through life and “learning from daily experience” but a routine approach when it comes to reading, exposing yourself to new ideas and being open to information that you may find valuable one day in the future.

The why – Know someone who is stuck in some area of their life?  Know someone who is struggling with some of life’s challenges or adversities?  Know someone who needs a new life outlook?  Do you need any of these or others?

Everyone I know who has a “lifelong learning” approach has very specific reasons for this philosophy.  They want to serve others whether family members, employees, friends, customers or even total strangers who cross their path. They learn to share.  They learn to help and they learn to increase the value of their life and the years they are given.

The when – This one is easy – never stop learning, growing and discovering.  You will never know how what you learn today will have a positive impact on your life or the lives of others in the future.  Waiting to learn when adversity, challenges or problems show up in your life is a recipe for wasted time, effort and resources.  Preparation vs. reaction is always a better approach to anything in life.  Prudence vs. recklessness is a far better way to deal with any circumstances that you didn’t expect or plan for.

“The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.”

Harry S. Truman