Start Learning, Keep Learning

There was a man I know who was a roadside mechanic. He was doing well, many years back, but when modern cars became popular, he found out that he started losing customers became he did not know how to fix them. He then decided to enrol and learn computerised vehicle diagnostics. It was difficult at that time, but he made a lot of sacrifices for it, and he kept learning until he became skilled in it. With this, he began to attract more customers and even expanded his business. This shows that you should be updated if you want to stay relevant. You will be surprised to know that the knowledge you had in the past, which worked for you, may cease to work if it is not updated. This is because, as new trends emerge, new requirements will also follow suit, which will demand updated knowledge.

Learning is arguably the most important tool that anyone can possess. From the moment a child is born, they begin to learn; they will learn how to walk, how to speak, how to understand the world around then, how to write, etc. But what you should know is that Learning should not stop the moment you leave school, or when you pass a particular phase of your life. Each day of your life will expose you to opportunities to learn new things. True growth actually comes when you adopt the mindset of "start learning, keep learning" throughout your life. As a matter of fact, as long as you are alive, you should not come to a point when you think there is nothing more to learn, because there will always be new things to learn.

The first step to learning is to start. Some people delay to start because they feel they are too young or that they are not ready for it. Or maybe they feel they are not interested in learning new things, or that they lack the intelligence for it, or they are already old. What they fail to understand is that learning does not have an age limit. Every expert you see today was once a beginning and an amateur. Even the skilled professionals you see today once had no knowledge about the field. No one is born with an expert knowledge; they learn and acquire it over time. The difference between those who have succeeded and others might just be the willingness to go after knowledge and to begin even when they are not prepared.

Starting may not be too comfortable and convenient at the initial. In fact, you may be faced with difficulties, mistakes, confusion, or you may even be slow. But what you should understand is that mistake does not mean that you have failed. Rather it is actually a pointer that you are making progress, and that learning is taking place. What you call mistake is part of what moves you closer to understanding, and it teaches you some very vital lessons in life. The most important thing is that you will keep trying, and not allow the fear of embarrassment or fear of failure to make you not to take steps.

After you start learning, then the next step is for you to continue learning. Learning should not be what you do once and then abandon, it should be a lifestyle; a lifelong habit. The world is continuously changing, new trends emerge with speed, new technologies, new opportunities, and new idea come out daily. It is when you learn daily that you will be able to adapt, grow, and then remain relevant in this world. It is either you learn and adapt, or you go into obsoletion. In addition to this, learning boosts your confidence and improves your belief on yourself and your ability. This is because you will become more capable at solving problems and handling challenges.

It is worthy to note that in this era, opportunities to learn are everywhere. Right from where you are, you can get access to incredible amounts of learning materials. Books, online resource, video tutorials, even real life experiences; are all part of what you can learn from. As long as you are willing to learn, you will discover that you have a lot of tools that you can leverage on, including your interactions with people. If you keep learning, you will keep growing. You will become a better human, better at solving problems, better at choices, and better at life generally.

Thanks for reading