Get Better At Self Learning

The education we acquire in college serves as a launch pad for our careers. However, formal education serves little purpose in the actual work world beyond helping us gain entry into a workplace. What sets performers apart is their ability to learn in a proactive, self-directed manner. 

Knowledge has become a commodity, and everything you want to know is on the internet. Unfortunately, what you know is not as important as how you use it and apply it to solve real-world problems.

We now live in an age where those skilled at self-learning have a significant advantage over those who constantly rely on others to teach and guide them. 

There are three imperatives for Self-learning.

Imperative 1: You have a deep internal desire to know something, do something, and change something.

Imperative 2: You operate with an open and curious mind, creating new knowledge through action and experimentation. You learn by doing. 

Imperative 3: You reflect on your current state and identify knowledge gaps that must be plugged by accessing new knowledge sources. You then seek out the specific knowledge in a focused manner. This part can feel uncomfortable because we have been conditioned to learn only when someone formally teaches us. Persisting with the process of figuring out and understanding things despite the discomfort is key. 

When you master the skill of self-learning, a world of possibilities opens up. You begin to connect the dots as you apply the knowledge you gather from various sources to help you deal with situations that are unique to you.