Learning as a way of life – Never get laid off

Secret 43 – Learning as a way of life – Never get laid off

What is supposed to be one of the fascinating processes in the world is looked mostly like pain – “Learning”.

Our education and the evaluation system have significantly contributed to it – we were made to dislike it. Reasons could be many and include:

•  A curriculum that we have designed with a mindset of “one-size-fits-all”.
• More focus on corporate jobs.
• Not measuring who we are.
• The way we are taught and importance to grades than the learning process.

When we step out of college and enter a career, we have a sense of relief that “studies are completed”.

If we have given importance to learning (which is the journey) than the grades (which is the destination), we would have imparted a habit in everyone that would have continued for our life. If you consider learning as a journey, your grades will most probably be excellent as well.

Having said some reasons have contributed to this, that cannot be the only reason you cannot change this. If it is so important, it is our moral responsibility to own this and ensure we do everything to make sure that “learning” is a way of living for us and our closed ones.

So what do you learn for life?

We learn almost everyday every moment in our day-to-day lives, but not all are same. Here, we are talking about learning that will make a significant impact on our daily life, impact the people we interact with, and that has the potential to make a better future.

For example, there are mandatory training and courses we go through as part of the job, which is not real learning as it is mostly done mechanically and more for the sake of others than ourselves. Anything you are forced to do for others will never improve you to be the next best version of yourself.

Go back in your life and think about the learning you went through just for the sake of it and not for your sake.

Real learning happens only when you intentionally decide that you want it, commit to it, invest time and walk the talk. Real learning is an incredible experience as life becomes so beautiful once this enters our life. Learning does not stop at any particular age, after school or college, after a particular project. This is meant for life.

One of the main reasons I have seen people getting laid off is not that they are not good, but they stopped learning. I repeat, “If you want to be laid off, not learning” is one of the easy ways to achieve the same as you will become redundant sooner and hence become easily dispensable.

Thanks to the advancement, we can almost learn anything in our life from our doorsteps. There are many ways you can learn – through books, audios, video courses, online coaching, workshops, etc., to name a few. We spend a lot on all those external pleasures, party, and entertainment (it is needed though) but think a lot when it comes to investing in ourselves, which is our lifelong companion.

Real learning could come from your goal, dream, mistake, feedback from others and future requirements.

Though I enjoyed my studies when I was a kid, I experienced real and significant joy in my learning in the field of coaching in the last four years. It was an incredible experience. Since this learning occurred in what I was good at and was also interested, I enjoyed the journey without waiting for the destination. There were many days when I had to be awake until 2 AM, but I never felt compelled to do it. I was in a rhythm and felt engaged throughout the last three years. This learning experience will continue throughout my life, and I cannot wait to look forward to more opportunities. My sincere prayer to God would be to give this experience to many more people in this world.

 Reflections

1. After completing your education and starting your career, what are the new things you learned that you wanted to?
2. As of today, what learning can make you a better person tomorrow?
3. What two new things do you want to learn this year?
4. Where will you be in five years if you do not decide to learn something new that you wanted to?

 Self-Evaluation

Please select what resonates with you after reading the chapter and reflecting on the questions. Evaluation is just for you, and nobody is going to look at this. So be honest in your evaluation:

1. I do not have a learning plan in my life. It is just ad-hoc learning.
2. I have a learning plan in place and need to take action to make it part of my life.
3. Mostly, learning is a way of my life.

 Small Actions

1. Think of one skill you can add to your core (your innate abilities, strengths and personality).
2. What is the one hobby that you can add to your life?
3. Who do you think is an example of “learning for life” in your known circle?
4. Talk to your kids about learning (journey) and grades (destination).
5. Join a learning community in your area.