Some of us look back with fond memories on the carefree days of our childhood when all we had to worry about was what to wear to school. We didn’t actually think about learning then. It was just something we did. As we got older, the going got tougher. Going to school meant learning new things. We had to think and remember, pass tests and move on to the next level. Sometimes it was easy and sometimes we had to work at it.  For many of us, graduation day, whether from high school or college, meant freedom from the daily grind of being forced to think.  We were free to go DO. “No more teachers, no more books…” And so we set out to do our job, raise our family and hopefully, one day have the time and money to retire.

life-long learningNo matter what circumstances we are in or what age we are, there is always something we can learn to make our life better, easier, more fun or more exciting.  Keep learning.  Become the best you can be at whatever you are doing whether it’s being a parent, working at a trade or in a service position, or conditioning your body.  Do it to the best of your ability. Or do something completely new.  Find a challenge. Be adventurous. Explore the possibilities.

Learning keeps you growing. It keeps your mind active and alert. It gives you something to look forward to every day.  Learn a new word, how to make good gravy or that wonderful new chili you had last night.  Learn all the words to your favorite song or how to sell on ebay.  Take a class in floral design or architecture.  Learn CPR or the tango.  Increase your knowledge of the fundamentals of your profession. Educate yourself by learning everything the most successful person in your company knows.  Whatever you do, do something everyday.  To stop learning is to become stagnant. Without learning, we lose interest in life. We become unable to face the challenges of an ever changing world.

Be awake, alive, alert and enthusiastic.  You will be amazed at how much happier you will be at work and at home.  Set your sights on becoming a life long learner.  A rich, full life is not an arrival at the destination, it is in the journey and the journey is in the learning.