Learning is an everyday process, and there are countless ways to learn. From reading to having conversations to practicing mindfulness or prayer to helping others, each day provides opportunities to develop and grow as a person.
Reading
From a young age, I have loved to read. Viewing my father as a role model, I wanted to learn about business to find out how he got to where he was. Learning about a variety of subjects, or learning in detail about a specific topic that highly interests you will benefit your life and career.
Hearing Different Perspectives
Whether you read, watch TV, listen to podcasts, or consume any other form of media, a great way to grow is to pay attention to people with different perspectives or opinions. When you can understand the way people think differently from you, you are better equipped to have fruitful discussions about a variety of topics.
One thing I have had to learn is that when I disagree with someone, or when they are clearly wrong, misconstruing facts, merely saying “You’re wrong” does not bring much benefit. Sometimes people’s wrong opinions are offensive, but I have learned to present my perspective calmly, clarifying the truth. Getting mad is a great way to let the other person know they have gotten under your skin.
Receiving news about current events, especially politics, from unbiased sources is difficult if not impossible, but being sufficiently aware of bias to sort out the reporting of facts from the commentary is a valuable skill.
Go Beyond Yourself
Helping others is a valuable way to help yourself. It must be acknowledged that self-gratification or receiving praise from others is not a healthy motivation for being charitable. We should help others not to get more likes on our post, but because it is the right thing to do. Our brains are actually designed to feel good when we do good.
Going beyond yourself does not have to occur in the form of volunteering or donating, but serving and giving can be great ways to do good if you can donate your time, money, or material goods. Doing good is something you can do regardless of your state in life: you can be kind, caring, compassionate, gentle, and loving to those around you daily.
Set a Goal and Make a Plan
What do you want to do today? Where do you want to be in a year? What do you want to accomplish or possess? Every person has dreams and goals, but making them happen can be difficult, especially if they are not tasks you can accomplish in a moment.
A great goal a person can have is to improve their financial well-being. Paying off debt and saving for the future is often satisfying and eases worry. There are numerous books, articles, and even mobile apps that can help you manage your finances from budgeting to saving to investing to eliminating debt.
What do you want to achieve personally and professionally? Crossing off items on a written daily to-do list provides self-gratification. While achieving career goals can be a much longer process, learning from books, articles, or individuals who have reached where you want to be can provide you with a roadmap on how to get there.
Practicing Mindfulness, Meditation, or Prayer
Staying in touch with your mind and spirit is a valuable way to maintain a healthy, balanced outlook on life. Practicing mindfulness, meditation, or prayer can provide you with more comfort and confidence in your identity. Knowing and joyfully accepting who I am has been a great help in my life.
My Recommended Resources
Podcasts
- The Secret To Success with CJ & Eric Thomas
- expediTIously with Tip “T.I.” Harris
- Daily Meditation Podcast
Books
- What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence by Stephen A. Schwarzman
- The Formula: Unlocking the Secrets to Raising Highly Successful Children by Ronald F. Ferguson and Tatsha Robertson
- People Over Profit: Break the System, Live with Purpose, Be More Successful by Dale Partridge
