It’s not hard to notice all the self-proclaimed life-long learners around you. They’re everywhere! Be it social media, networking events, or your apartment complex. Everyone (including me) follows a path for their self-development through books, media, and whatnot.
We take copious notes, share, and even teach to solidify all we’ve learned! But what are the chances of going back o our notes or remembering all the great things that we’ve learned in our old age? In my opinion, not much. Our life’s purpose isn’t defined by what we’ve learned but what we’ve done.
Our actions are what matter the most in the end. And I love Seneca’s take on this, “Get busy with life’s purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your rescue — if you care for yourself at all — and do it while you can.” To put it bluntly — stop reading and take action. Let your words become works!
Being a lifelong learner doesn’t mean much if all you do is read and learn; it’s the application that makes all you know valuable. And the best part is this — you don’t have to be perfect with your application, the fact that you’re making an effort to test your (or the ones from whom you’ve learned) hypothesis will put you far ahead of everyone else. Why? Because you’re making progress towards attaining mastery.
And people value the in-the-trenches experience far more than theories based on your experience as an armchair learner. Let that determine what you learn and what you intend to do with what you’re learning because the implementation plan will get you to mastery.