Why Lifelong Learners Will Thrive on the Other Side of a Pandemic
/Life is pretty chaotic right now. It seems like every hour our environment is changing. Just this week a ‘shelter in place’ order was issued for our city & county.
And while I am endlessly consuming content around COVID-19, I realize I know nothing.
Well, I know one thing. I know that I am always learning. And not just around our rapidly evolving circumstances, but with anything.
Within the past year, I went through a big shift in my perspective around race in our country. I kept an open mind each time Ashley challenged my way of thinking and eventually persuaded me to attend a seminar on racial equity.
I didn’t knowingly wake up one day and say “I’m going to change my perspective on racial equity today.” But I do always remind myself to have an open mind. And I commit to growing my mind by always learning.
I understand that our minds are like parachutes, they only work when they’re open (Thomas Dewar). And while many of us are practicing social distancing or have ‘shelter in place’ orders, I can think of no better time to commit myself to an open mind and lifelong learning.
And here’s 3 reasons why lifelong learners will thrive on the other side of this pandemic.
Learning isn’t just about formal education.
When Ashley graduated with her MBA she said, “I am so glad to be done with classrooms!” to which I quietly added a “...for now.” I knew her learning wasn’t over, but I wasn’t going to be the one to remind her that the world is her classroom now during her big celebration.
Getting a diploma of any kind is a major accomplishment but is not the end of your learning journey. Right now, students are connecting to their classrooms and teachers through laptops and tablets. But one of the greatest lessons is happening outside the classroom and I don’t mean by turning on the news. Amongst all the noise, there have been so many powerful stories of community, compassion, and philanthropy. That’s some of the best lessons to teach students (and adults) of all ages!
When you understand that everything is a learning opportunity your limits are endless.
The enemy of growing is “knowing”.
One of my favorite leadership books is Mindset by Carol Dweck. While reading it, I analyzed every situation in my life where I had a growth mindset and someone else had a fixed mindset. I thought I knew everything before I even finished the book.
As I finished the book, I realized my analysis of everyone around me was actually my own example of where I have a fixed mindset. Once you think you know it all, you’re right back to the beginning. You may know more about a subject than someone else, but what if that other person knows one thing that you don’t? What if that one thing will make all the difference for you?
When all the dust settles, you want to be ready to hit the ground running to make up for any speed bumps you may have hit.
3. An investment in yourself has a guaranteed return.
Right now, we could all use something with a guaranteed return. I’m no economist, but I feel confident in saying there is no guaranteed return right now in traditional investments like the stock market or new businesses and there never really is with those things.
An investment in yourself is one of the few investments in life that always provides a return. Think of the last time you invested in something, maybe it was a new car or some kind of stock. What could have happened if you invested that money in yourself?
With an excess of time and an abundance of boredom, this is a great time to invest in yourself. This is a great time to deepen your knowledge in a topic or skill to improve your employability or maybe even investing time in a hobby to bring you more enjoyment! I am personally learning more about organizational design right now.
Maybe you really want to learn, but you think you can’t afford to invest in yourself. My question is this: Can you really afford not to? The late, great Jim Rohn used to say if you think education is expensive, try ignorance. I think that is pretty great advice.
Ashley & I are committed to lifelong learning during this pandemic and all the time really. Your investment doesn’t have to be in dollars. Just time and energy. You may have a little extra of that right now. Will you join us in committing to lifelong learning? Will you commit to invest more time in your own personal growth right now?
Here are a few questions for you to reflect on:
When is the last time you learned something new?
What are the last 3 books you have read? (...and let us know if there are any you recommend.) Last podcast? Last documentary?
How much money, time, and energy have you invested into your own personal growth in the past month? Year? In your whole life?
What is one thing you can learn more about during your extra time at home?
