In deference to the frigid weather we’ve been having lately, this past weekend our family had a snuggle-up-and-watch-movies day. Our movie of choice was Meet the Robinsons – I knew our daughter would love the dinosaur fights and flying hats, and I love the underlying messages it teaches; to love learning, to be ok with failure, and to always keep moving forward. At the end of the movie, just before the credits, there is a quote from Walt Disney, and it’s really stuck with me ever since.
“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long.
We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…
And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney
If you’re anything like me, then you followed the typical road to education; went off to college, got a degree, found a job, and joined the “real world.” Most of us will have graduated and finished school between the ages of 18 – 24, but the life expectancy for Americans today is almost 80. That means learning, growing, and getting an education takes precedence for only 1/3 of our lives. Then what? Are we really expected to remain stagnant for the next 50 years? No way! We should always be making decisions, learning new things, and creating new paths, and here’s why:
1. Learning keeps your brain healthy –
A 2010 study from the University of California at Irvine revealed that learning keeps your brain functioning at a high level. Just like you work out to strengthen your muscles, your brain also needs continuous exercise. You don’t even need a pricey gym membership – there are tons of free and inexpensive courses available online these days (like Ben’s awesome Revit course!) Continued learning can even help to slow the physical process of Alzheimer’s Disease, according to Science Daily. That’s a win-win if you ask me!
2. Learning helps you grow as a professional –
There is a direct correlation between personal growth and a thriving professional life. Whatever goals you are working towards; that big promotion, the corner office, or growing your own business, learning new work-related skills and staying at the forefront of technology is what will get you there. Anyone else put business-related ecourses on their Christmas lists last year? Just me? Ok, moving on.
3. Learning can make you more creative –
Creativity is, essentially, the ability to apply skills learned in one setting to problems in another. As a lifelong learner, you’ll be able to come up with new and fresh solutions to everyday problems because you’ll have a huge knowledge base to draw from. Nothing gets clients raving about you faster than unique solutions to their problems.
By making it a priority to carve out a small amount of time for learning (shall we say, 1% of your day?) you can keep your brain healthy longer, advance in your career and become more creative. You’ll be amazed how a small amount of time learning can have a huge impact in your personal and professional life!
What are some traits to help you become a better learner?
- Openness and receptivity to new information
- Understanding that more is learned from failure than success, and an unwillingness to give up.
- Ability to let go of old beliefs and think outside the box
- Innate need to dig deeper; constantly questioning and researching
- Ability to manage full schedules and prioritize daily growth
- Competitive drive to learn, know, and do more personally and professionally.
When you do as Will Robinson says and “keep moving forward,” anything is possible. Hey, maybe you’ll even be inventing time machines and flying hats in a few years! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a webinar starting in 30 minutes and I don’t want to be late.
Guest post by Laura Vacca at Creative Mess Designs
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