What do extremely successful people like Bill Gates, Henry Ford, John de Mol or Louis van Gaal have in common? They have one important quality in common: they have the desire to never stop learning.
The desire to keep developing and learning continuously has brought them great success. They seize (or seize) every opportunity to improve themselves with both hands. Success has not come to them, it has not been happiness, it is the result of a mindset in which continuous knowledge development is central.
Good news
Do you know what's beautiful? You too can have such a mindset.
What do you need to be or become a continuously learning person? 3 properties:
- Curiosity
- Desire
- Commitment
Okay, if it were that easy, everyone would. Developing a continuously learning mindset is hard work, but not impossible.
Below I give you 6 directly applicable tips that will help you to get a big step closer to this goal.
If you want to reach your full potential, read on.
Tip 1: watch less television / Netflix
Yes, really. If you are zapping for an evening, there is a good chance that you will not learn anything new. While you are watching Netflix, someone else is developing himself.
Of course there are documentaries or other educational programs that you learn a lot from. But practice shows that more often programs are watched that serve for entertainment or relaxation.
Of course you do not have to stop watching television completely immediately. Relaxation is also very important. But start small. Watch one hour less television a day and spend that time reading a book or following an online training, for example.
One hour a day is not much, and relatively easy to achieve. And on a weekly basis this is 7 hours, almost a full working day that you have invested in personal development. 7 hours that the other 99% of people have not invested in themselves.
Tip 2: Study other successful people
Of course, the people I mentioned in the introduction to this article do not come out of the blue. When you study them well you know that they have come this far by constantly developing themselves.
Find out what goals you have in life and look for people who have already achieved them. Provide a role model that you reflect on and learn from them. Absorb their knowledge and become just as good.
For example, even one of the richest people on earth, Bill Gates, has a role model (or coach) with whom he regularly spares. Warren Buffett has been a huge inspiration to Gates since the 1990s.
Tip 3: learn to read faster
When you learn to read faster, you learn more in less time. And reading faster may seem difficult at first glance, but it is a characteristic that you can learn relatively easily and that yields a lot: extra time.
There are many resources to help you achieve this. The video below explains in an inspiring way what faster reading can mean for you and how you can achieve this.
Tip 4: knowledge sessions, seminars, conferences, webinars, etc.
In every niche there are plenty of events where you gain knowledge. Look for these events and sign up.
Learning from a book is great, but hardly anything is more effective than hearing it directly from an expert in your field.
The big advantage of seminars and workshops, for example, is that you not only learn from the expert, but that it is also a good time to network.
The people at such an event have the same interest as you and you can learn a lot from each other.
Tip 5: consciously commit yourself to continuous learning
HR Consultancy is not a trick you do, but a serious mindset. The desire, curiosity and commitment to continuous learning is perhaps the most important trait for success.
Make sure you are and remain curious. Be critical and look for questions and the answers to them.
In that regard, we live in a unique era. Knowledge has never been easier to access and it is up to you to take advantage of it. With the internet you have the information or knowledge you are looking for in a few seconds or a few mouse clicks.
Go do it
Do you also want to have that continuously learning mindset and become so successful?
Time for some homework.
Start with tip 5 that I gave you. Commit yourself to continuous learning. Make sure you spend less time watching Netflix and this time on knowledge. Knowledge is really everywhere, make yourself aware of this. Read a book, talk to people, attend a seminar, book an online training and keep developing yourself.
This is how you make the difference and distinguish yourself from the vast majority of people.
You will see that when you really have this mindset, you will really enjoy it a lot.
Of course I also like to learn more myself. So if you have another tip or lesson to learn smarter or better, let me know and maybe I'll include it in this article.
