Is it something you love to do or is it something you resist because it feels better to be knowledgeable? Maybe for you, it is a combination of both.
In my work I have found that most people want to be learning, and yet they resist it because not knowing something makes them feel uncomfortable or inadequate. This is primarily a result of patterns in thinking where knowing and having knowledge is seen as helpful and attractive. It can even be equated with power — that having knowledge gives someone power.
What about growth, about growing as a person and into new endeavors?
Let’s say you want to expand your business, which can be very exciting as well as challenging. It is going to involve aspects that are unfamiliar to you. Think about that, if you’ve never made $100,000 or $1,000,000 in your business, getting to that level is going to require you to do things that are unfamiliar to you and therefore new to you.
You are meant to always be learning. That’s right. We are here to grow and to continue to grow throughout our lives and it doesn’t have to be hard or uncomfortable.
“If you aren’t growing, you’re dying.”
Bob Dylan, in one of his songs, says: “If you aren’t busy growing, you are busy dying.” That’s true.
If you are stuck in your same familiar pattern of doing things, that same old routine that many consider to be a rut, could also be seen as this: You’re on the path to beginning the dying he’s referring to here.
On the contrary to this, the outlook of always learning, of looking at new things as an opportunity rather than a roadblock is part of the adventure as well as the road to success.
To always be learning something new is to expand your mind, your possibilities, and then the opportunities that come to you! Doesn’t that sound exciting?
Research has shown that stimulating the brain has benefits at every age — and by learning is one way to do just that. Although, to be always learning does not always feel good.
It can make people feel inadequate, inexperienced, or not good enough. People have this idea that being an expert in their field means that there is nothing left to learn, that they know what they need to know.
For example, learning a new language. It is said that it is easier to do when a person is younger, that their brain is more adept at picking up a new language. This does not mean that it cannot be done, that it doesn’t have incredible benefits, in keeping you young and fit for example. Besides, it could be incredibly fun and exciting to do this.
They say it is better to try and possibly mess it up than to not try at all. Ha… I agree with this. And I do practice it. However, it isn’t always positive. When trying a new language, sometimes people worry that they will say the wrong thing or order the wrong thing for dinner. You have to be willing to risk that going in. Willingness to make a mistake. To get it wrong. To laugh at it.
Have you learned anything new since the start of this year?
Successful business owners and executives say that it is best to hire people who know more than you, especially in a certain area. Oftentimes this is off-putting for people in that as the boss they think they have to know the most. In order to grow a business and as a person, you’ll need to be willing to grow and that is going to involve learning new things, finding out what it is that you don’t know. It is the best approach to business.
It is one of the best ways to learn new approaches to doing things, especially from team members who might have done it differently before and can increase efficiency and productivity.
Learning new things can be exciting. However, it can also turn people away, because not knowing triggers their fear, sometimes even anxiety.
What if learning something new was one of the best ways to add to your life, to the work you do? Even to your relationships?
Maureen Considine is Founder and CEO of Finding Your Way Coaching. A Master Coach with expertise in Income Acceleration, Business Development, Sales and Mindset, she is the Wealth Health Creation Strategist for entrepreneurs, executives, and other high performers. Maureen has over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing. She has helped hundreds of clients grow their businesses and reach their true potential using her unique, intuitive, and holistic approach. Maureen has a B.A. in Psychology, with training in mindset and the Psychology of Sales.
