What’s the arrival fallacy? Do you have a mentor? What are you learning right now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No matter how successful you become, it\u2019s vital to never <\/em>stop growing\u2014which requires a lifelong commitment to learning<\/a> from your experiences. John C. Maxwell explains why continual learning optimizes growth, and he shares strategies to maximize learning and growth throughout your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue reading to discover how to keep learning, keep growing, and become the person you dream of being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Ideally, throughout your entire life, you\u2019ll continue to approach each new challenge and experience as a learning opportunity\u2014gaining <\/strong>new tools, skills, and insights along the way. Maxwell discusses why you should\u2014and how you can\u2014keep learning, keep growing, and ultimately find true success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Maxwell focuses on how lifelong learning<\/a> supports you in achieving your goals<\/a>, but experts note that it has a number<\/em> of other benefits.<\/a> It can improve your cognitive health by strengthening your brain, which guards against dementia. It can also bolster your social life, as formal classes and other kinds of communal learning bring learners together. Lastly, it can support your self-esteem: People who continue to learn throughout their lives feel more confident in themselves, especially when they can put their knowledge to good use.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell says that learning contributes to growth in two ways: Learning from the past helps you achieve future success and helps you feel more fulfilled in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell argues that you\u2019ll be more successful if you learn from past failures and successes.<\/strong> If you internalize the lessons you learn from the challenges you\u2019ve faced, you can apply them when you take your next steps forward\u2014so instead of making the same old mistakes, you\u2019ll be better prepared to do things right. As a result, you\u2019ll be more likely to achieve each of your goals and, in the long run, realize your potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: One interesting way that learning from experience can contribute to your success is that it can improve your chances of being hired. Companies are showing increasing interest in candidates who demonstrate \u201cgrit\u201d in their personal lives<\/a>\u2014the ability to persevere through difficult life circumstances and work hard to accomplish what needs to be done. Often, this asset comes from experiences such as unpaid care work<\/a>, military service, travel, and so on.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell also argues that since it increases your chances of success, learning also maximizes your overall life satisfaction. <\/strong>If you continue to learn and grow for the rest of your life, you\u2019ll set, and reach, increasingly loftier goals, which will help you feel like you\u2019re making the most of your life<\/a>. According to Maxwell, giving up on learning and the growth that comes with it means settling for a mediocre life<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: In his encouragement to never stop learning<\/a> and growing, Maxwell is cautioning against \u201cthe arrival fallacy:\u201d the erroneous idea that once you achieve success\u2014in this case, your potential as you envision it now\u2014you\u2019ll feel satisfied for good<\/em>. While reaching goals can be fulfilling, they don\u2019t create happiness forever. Researchers agree that happiness is more tightly linked to simply enjoying life in the moment.<\/a> Committing to learning<\/a> throughout your life means you\u2019ll continue discovering things you enjoy\u2014helping you maintain happiness, regardless of goal achievement.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you understand how lifelong learning can help you reach your potential<\/a>, how exactly should you approach learning in the context of growth? Maxwell has a few recommendations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell argues that curiosity enables you to learn valuable information and opens you up to innovative ways of thinking. He offers several strategies for practicing curiosity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Always ask, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/strong> Practically, this means you should be open to, aware of, and inquisitive about the world around you. Viewing every <\/em>experience you have as a learning opportunity will help you amass a wealth of knowledge over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Asking why can help you figure out the root cause<\/em> of problems\u2014which means that you can address the actual <\/em>issues causing the problem<\/a>, not just the most evident symptoms of the problem. It\u2019s like retracing your steps: If you can figure out how you got to Point Z from Point A, you\u2019ll know exactly how to avoid arriving at Point Z again. It\u2019s important to note that you can use this process to identify the root of success <\/em>as well\u2014figuring out the precise tactics that helped you so that you can emulate them and replicate your success.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Seek out opportunities that are new and unusual to you and be open to diverse perspectives.<\/strong> If you\u2019re open-minded and innovative, you\u2019ll maximize your chances of success because you\u2019ll be able to overcome barriers that would otherwise hold you back. For example, say your goal is to learn Chinese but you can\u2019t afford to take traditional classes. If you come up with a creative solution, like finding free lessons on Youtube, you\u2019ll still be able to achieve that goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: To improve your open-mindedness, consciously practice intellectual humility and welcome challenges to your beliefs<\/a>. It\u2019s important to recognize that no matter how much you know about a topic, it\u2019s likely that you don\u2019t know everything<\/em>\u2014you always have opportunities to learn more. Also, keep in mind that nobody\u2019s life experience is universal, so there\u2019s something to learn from everyone you meet. When someone challenges your beliefs, make an effort to listen to their perspective and consider the possibility<\/a> that you could be wrong.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good mentors can teach you what you need to know to succeed in your personal and professional life.<\/strong> According to Maxwell, you should choose mentors who have good, strong character, who have experience in what you\u2019re trying to achieve, and who are willing and able to spend time working with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: When you\u2019re looking for a mentor, first consider people you\u2019re already in community with<\/a>\u2014the better your mentor knows you and your circumstances, the more personalized and helpful their advice will be. If you can\u2019t find a mentor you already know, it\u2019s okay to reach out to people you admire and ask them to meet with you. In these meetings, demonstrate that you\u2019re someone worth mentoring: Be respectful of their time, expertise, and boundaries, and show them that you\u2019re truly interested in learning from them.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell argues that you should take time <\/strong>regularly <\/em><\/strong>to reflect on your successes and failures. <\/strong>This helps you extract lessons from these experiences, which you can then apply to future opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To reflect, first write down questions that prompt you to think about challenges you\u2019ve faced, rewarding experiences, opportunities for improvement, and what gives your life meaning<\/a>. Then, write your responses to these questions. Finally, take time to think deeply about your responses, paying special attention to challenges that were painful for you. Pain is an excellent teacher\u2014since humans are naturally averse to pain, you won\u2019t be inclined to repeat decisions that have hurt you before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In pinpointing your painful experiences, make an effort to reframe them as valuable life lessons: <\/strong>This will give you the necessary perspective to learn from your mistakes<\/a> and implement any necessary changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Reflection helps you overcome adversity because it gives you an opportunity to make sense of what happened, deal with negative emotions, and figure out how to grow from your experiences<\/a>. In other words, going through the process of reflection can help you slow down, think about a situation clearly, and respond to a painful experience rationally<\/em> rather than emotionally<\/em>. <\/em>It\u2019s best to write your reflections down\u2014studies show that reflective writing helps you think more clearly about situations and doesn\u2019t lend itself to rumination or overthinking the way mental<\/em> reflection might.<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What’s the arrival fallacy? Do you have a mentor? What are you learning right now? No matter how successful you become, it\u2019s vital to never stop growing\u2014which requires a lifelong commitment to learning from your experiences. John C. Maxwell explains why continual learning optimizes growth, and he shares strategies to maximize learning and growth throughout your life. Continue reading to discover how to keep learning, keep growing, and become the person you dream of being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":50758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,42,43],"tags":[959],"class_list":["post-97420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-motivation","category-self-improvement","tag-the-15-invaluable-laws-of-growth","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nKeep Learning, Keep Growing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why Continual Learning Optimizes Growth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Learning From the Past Contributes to Future Success<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Learning Increases Your Sense of Fulfillment<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How to Become a Lifelong Learner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Method #1: Practice Curiosity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Method #2: Choose Good Mentors<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Method #3: Reflect<\/h4>\n\n\n\n