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Everyday brings with it a new set of challenges and circumstances for us to overcome. We have a choice, daily, to continue doing things the way we have always done them, or to optimize our methods by continuing to learn new ways of getting things done. There is a disconnect that takes place between wanting to get better at something and actually getting better. Many of us find ourselves wanting more, yet continue to do things the way we have always done them. If you are not closing more sales for the company, your processes may need to be tweaked, if you cannot recruit better talent for your organization, you need to rethink the way you are positioned in the market, and if you want to make more money this year as compared to the last, you have to think of new ways of doing what you do.
The day we stop learning, we stop caring about our future. We may want the stars, but unless we bring our head down from the clouds and face reality, things will not change. Learning does not take place overnight. We cannot get better at anything by taking a random course for it or reading a particular book. It requires experience, reflection and much study about what we are doing wrong and what we are doing right. Taking our strengths and weaknesses into account can help optimize the way we learn. This will ultimately bring the change we are looking for, if we have the persistence to stick with it.
In his book “outliers” Malcom Gladwell talks about 10,000 minimum hours of experience required for someone to become good at a certain skill. How many hours have you devoted to becoming a better leader, sales person, marketeer or lawyer? What processes do you currently have in place to make sure you continue to get better and reach your goals? We have to start thinking about these factors, today. It is never too later to start, the important thing is to start from somewhere.
How do you learn about your skill on a regular basis? Would really like to hear your comments and suggestions.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Usman!
Good Post!
in my early teens, when i was learning to ride a bicycle, my father told me the sooner you muster the courage to fall and brave the bruises, the faster you will will learn to peddle your way to school. i think the real learning whether it is business skills or life skills, comes the hard way…when we do things, try and fail, taste failure, bear all the agony that comes with it, then look back, learn to do it all over again, in a different way, success comes in, revel in the surge of self esteem and then celebrate. learning is a perpetual process of trial and error and there are no short cuts.
learning happens when we do things, experience and feel the effort rather than sit with a book or listen to a mentor’s advice….I think the real skills are learnt through introspecting over what we did, how we did, what was the outcome, how close was it to being the best thing desirable and how could it have been better. most of us arent disciplined enough to go through this thought process and are very well ensconced in the way we have been doing things without much trouble to ourselves. it takes a lot of effort to come out of our comfort zones to try doing things in a way that would be the best possible way rather than doing it in the least- required- effort manner.
the first step in our betterment is to realise and appreciate the fact the we do need to improve every single day, grow and evolve, otherwise there will be stagnation and life would take us on reverse gear. keeping ourselves constantly aware of our own weaknesses and fallacies is like giving ourselves an opportunity to improve.
Great insight Saba.
Getting out of your comfort zone is of paramount importance if we want to learn. By challenging yourself on a regular basis and setting stretched goals we motivate ourselves to do more and continue to grow.