“The Athena Principles” Ongoing Learning Curriculums (Ninth in a Series)
As we wrap up this series of blog posts summarizing the main themes of The Athena Principles: Simple Wellness Practices for Overworked Professionals, we’ll explore the wellness benefits of becoming a lifelong learner. While the morning and evening routines we reviewed in the last post provide a sustaining structure for your wellness practices, an ongoing learning program will help keep you interested and your wellness routines fresh.
Researchers have shown that learning can change our brain chemistry for the better by improving cognitive connections and adaptability to change. In addition, learning deepens our understanding of different subject matters, helping us to stay relevant and engaged.
Learning new things about interesting topics also fuels enthusiasm, especially if you build this learning into your everyday life. Daily learning keeps you curious and can lead you outside of your comfort zone (where the magic happens) to an overall richer, more creative life experience.
If you analyze your current work and personal interests, you’ll most likely identify many areas where you are learning new things. You can draw on the pool of knowledge you’ve already amassed along with any training opportunities you may have in your day to day.
When I was in the corporate world, I used to look at my stocked bookshelves in my home and dream of taking a year-long, self-imposed sabbatical and creating my own curriculum of learning. Now as a writer and a coach, I get to spend my days learning about topics I love. But looking back I can see I’ve been a lifelong learner.
For example, during my corporate career, I had the opportunity to learn every day through assignments, travel, on-the-job training, continuing education, presentations, mentoring and teaching. At the time I had no idea how important it would be to know about business models, strategic planning, sales and marketing, operations, return on investment, risk management, communication, negotiation and meeting facilitation as an entrepreneur.
Concurrently, and without even realizing it, I created my own system of learning beyond business topics. I always had a book (later iPad) and highlighter in hand, taking copious notes during my work commute, on planes, and during my morning or evening routines.
My love of learning also extended beyond books to lectures, classes, online learning, workshops and retreats. Learning was a great way to meet and spend time with experts, while networking with others and creating community and accountability.
Try this:
Take inventory of your professional and personal interests and opportunities for further learning. What topics of interest emerge for you? Where would you like to expand your learning? Perhaps you’d like to go deeper on a subject you already love or explore a completely new area. Is there a skillset you’d like to build?
Determine the format of your learning. We are living in a time where we have unprecedented access to information and can learn about anything we wish. This provides a number of viable options to create a self-directed learning program, including:
o Reading – books, blogs, online publishing platforms, like Medium
o Viewing – educational videos, online courses, TED talks
o Listening – podcasts, audiobooks
o Formal/group training – local college, community adult classes, workshops, retreats
o Informal training – mentor, coach
o Learning by doing – Toastmasters, blogging
o Emulating your mentors – books, classes, deconstructing their approach
o Teaching what you learn – professional organizations, volunteering
o Discussion/feedback groups – in person, online.
Structure your learning once you find a topic(s) of interest and suitable learning method as follows:
o Practice – experimenting and performing the new skill
o Community – sharing it publicly and getting feedback
o Repetition – learning from the process, incorporating the feedback and trying again.
Advantages of using a framework like this is that there is little to no cost and you get to share publicly in a low-stakes manner. For example, you can volunteer to give a talk at a local service group meeting (Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce, etc.) or write an article on a favorite topic to share what you’ve learned.
How you design your learning is up to you. You can create a plan that is completely unstructured (just a topic) or defined to include goals, timelines, progress measures and completion targets. You can proactively grow your skillset in your own unique way.
Self-improvement is an investment in yourself and will keep you motivated. Becoming a lifelong learner will help you incorporate continuous learning into your lifestyle. Experiment and amend your practices as you continue to learn and grow.
I will conclude this series of blog posts on November 1st. You can sign up for blog post alerts below and get a free download of The Athena Principles framework and action plan at: https://athenawellness.com/actionplan
Book Announcement: The paperback, eBook and audiobook versions of The Athena Principles, Simple Wellness Practices for Overworked Professionals are available on Amazon. Feedback shared via Amazon reviews is much appreciated!