The Importance of Continuous Learning | Jack Canfield

Hi there, I'm Jack Canfield. And today I want to talk to you about why continuous learning is an important secret to success. When I think of all the highly successful people I've ever met, people like Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges, Tony Robbins, W. Clement Stone, Lisa Nichols, and John Gray, they all have one thing in common. They never stop learning. They seize every opportunity to expand their knowledge and improve their skills and build on their expertise. And that's how they're able to perform at higher and higher levels and achieve such extraordinary results in their lives. The good news is, anyone can become a lifetime learner. All you need is curiosity and the desire and the commitment to improve yourself. And today I'd like to share six simple tips on how to develop a lifelong learning mindset that will help you achieve your highest potential and create a life you love. Now, my first piece of advice is to decrease your television time. Yeah, I'm definitely going there. Now, here's the deal. There's very little that you can learn by staring at a tv. Sure, there are documentary and there are interview and educational programs that offer some value. But even these shows are often more about cursory information than they are about deep analysis and insightful information and wisdom. Now, in reality, anything that can be learned watching TV can usually be learned by reading a book that has more information and more depth. So to increase your knowledge and abilities, I encourage you to turn off the tv, read a book instead, or do some online research about a topic that interests you. You can watch some TED and TEDx talks online. You can even sign up for an online training program. Take a course at a nearby college or community college, or enroll in a correspondence course. And by taking the time you normally spend on mindless entertainment and devoting it to expanding your skills and deepening your understanding, you will become a more capable and successful person. Now, the good news is you don't have to go cold turkey to see big results. Even just watching one hour less of TV every day will free up seven hours a week. That's almost the equivalent of an eight hour workday that you could spend now learning something that could change your life for the better. Now, my second tip is this study other successful people learn. Look for people who've accomplished the exact goals that you want to achieve and then find out how they did it. Read their books, attend their workshops, or talk to them in person if you can. Because if their strategies work for them, they'll likely work for you as well. And in most cases, what has worked before will probably work again. Now my third tip is to learn how to read faster. If reading teaches you valuable information, then reading faster allows you to learn more in less time. And there are lots of great resources available out there to help you learn how to read faster, even if you're not much of a reader. One of my favorite courses is photo reading, which you can find information about online. There are also inexpensive courses on Lynda.com and Udemy, that's spelled U D E M Y and the Khan Academy, as well as other online learning platforms. And there are countless great articles you can read for free simply by googling the term learn to read faster. And the great thing is, the faster you read, the more you will read and the more you will learn in a very short period of time. Okay, here's my fourth tip. Attend as many conferences, workshops, and other in person events as you can. Reading about something can be very informative, but nothing is as powerful as learning from an expert in person. No matter what topic you want to learn more about, there is no shortage of events you can attend to further your education. Not only do these conferences and workshops offer you the opportunity to learn from experts in the field, they also give you the chance to network with your fellow attendees who may have just as much wisdom to share as the speakers that are on the stage now. My fifth suggestion is to make a conscious commitment to yourself to engage in lifelong learning. Continuous learning isn't just a set of tasks you perform, it's a state of mind. It's the commitment to have an open mind, to stay curious, and to always be expanding your understanding of the world. And that's why I encourage you to develop a mindset that makes learning a vital part of your day to day life. When we come into this world, we're born with a fiery sense of curiosity. But for many of us, this curiosity diminishes as we grow older. We become too complacent and comfortable. We tell ourselves that we know everything we need to know. But I want to encourage you to resist complacency. Never stop being curious or asking questions, and never stop seeking the answers to those questions. You know, we're all so fortunate to be living in an age of information. If a question pops into your head thanks to the Internet, you can find the answer in minutes and sometimes even seconds. All of human knowledge is available to us at our fingertips, and I encourage you to take maximum advantage of that fact. Finally, my last piece of advice is to be prepared. Opportunities for learning exist all around you. They might come in the form of an interesting article you stumble across online, or they may come from a conversation with someone whose knowledge and experience you can benefit from. So I encourage you to look for these opportunities and make the most of them, because the more you act on the opportunities available to you, the more opportunities will appear to you and the bigger and better those opportunities will become. So remember, the universe rewards those who take action. So when you demonstrate your desire to improve your performance and get better results in life, and the universe will give you countless opportunities to do just that. Okay, here's your homework, so I want you to complete this after watching the video Make a conscious decision today to commit yourself to a life of continuous learning. Instead of watching reruns on Netflix, spend your free time researching an interesting topic online or sign up for a conference that you've been wanting to attend or an online course that will teach you a new skill you've been wanting to learn. Once you decide on what action you're going to take, leave a comment below and tell us about it. Sharing your commitment with others actually increases your chances of following through on it. So thanks for watching. And remember, nothing will change for the better in your life until you do. Now, if you found this video helpful, make sure you like it, Share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel. For more videos like this one, and for some additional resources on continuous learning, visit my website@jackcampfield.com thanks again for watching.