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Mastering Your Learning Perspective

Written by Posted On Friday, 28 May 2021 00:00
Mastering Your Learning Perspective
I have been learning lately that the knowledge mass of the human race is doubling approximately every three years. Estimates are that by 2030, the knowledge mass will be doubling every 35 days!  An elderly fellow in a recent audience said “Man, I’m sure glad I’ll be dead then!” It is indeed a formidable consideration for the future.
 
Today we have so many disrupters, changes, technological advances, and daily brain inputs that it's become a challenge to process it all. What have you been studying and learning lately? Have you given in-depth thought to what you need to be learning? Here is a 6-step process that will serve useful in helping you target your learning goals and objectives for maximum progress…

1. First, do a “Current Assessment” of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that exist in your chosen career path. Dr. Peter Drucker used to say “To make measurable progress you have to know where you are starting from."

2. Consider (or set) your goals for the next five years and ask yourself what you need to learn to advance yourself. Consider what the person you want to become is learning now!  This will help you target your learning goals so that you can stay on track for positive outcomes. You may want to ask your boss which topics you need to advance your learning on. They will be impressed with your focus on self-improvement.

3. Start making a list of books, periodicals, industry magazines, etc. you need to be reading and get started on them. You may want to keep a journal of what you have read with a listing of the “Key Takeaways” you gain. Another recommended activity is to think about what unproductive habits you have that you could replace with more learning time.

4. Develop some solid new habits that will help you achieve your new learning goals. Behavior change can be tough, but it is the only way to ramp up the knowledge we need to prosper in the coming times.

5. Consider other areas of education you might pursue. Have you thought about going back to school, or taking select courses that will help you become the person you want to be? Online courses are readily available on just about any topic you want to pursue.

6. Take action. Write down your new goals, stick to your plan, and make some great strides in what you learn. The depth of our knowledge becomes apparent to those around us, and we start to get blind-sided with new opportunities for career growth. I love it when that happens! 

The late Charlie “Tremendous” Jones would greet people not by saying “How are you?”, but by saying something like “What have you been learning?” or “What are you becoming these days?” It would inevitably make you stop and think!
 
One of my favorite stories on this front was regarding the great friendship that Henry Ford and Thomas Edison enjoyed. On occasion, they would go to their Florida homes in Ft. Myers (they were next door to each other). After not seeing each other for a few months they would agree to meet on their dock early in the morning to visit. Thomas would say to Henry “Hello Henry, what has become clear to you since we were last together?” That’s lofty thinking at its best. I can only imagine the things they talked about.
 
There is no standing still in the arena of competition. Ultimately, one is either progressing or regressing, and there is no status quo. If someone thinks they are "holding their own," they are really regressing because of the knowledge mass expansion referred to earlier. The competitor who is hungry for knowledge will, over time, outperform those who labor under the assumption of holding their own.

As you learn new things, you can convert them into new skill sets that will help you do what you do better or with greater efficiency. Concerning your current learning process, who are you becoming? What could you become if you knew more? Can you glean some positive actions from this newsletter to expedite your trip to the next level?  Good luck!

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Don Hutson

After graduation from the University of Memphis, with a major in Sales and a minor in Real Estate, he was #1 salesman in a national organization. He then established his own training firm and shortly thereafter was in demand as a professional speaker.

Since then Don has addressed over half of the Fortune 500 Companies and is featured in over 100 training films. He is Chairman & CEO of U. S. Learning and makes some 50 speaking appearances per year. Perhaps you have seen him on national television where he has been featured on ABC, PBS, TPN and Fox News.

Don is the author of SELLING VALUE, and co-author of the #1 Best Sellers, THE ONE MINUTE ENTREPRENEUR (with Dr. Ken Blanchard) and THE ONE MINUTE NEGOTIATOR (with Dr. George Lucas). He has also authored or co-authored eleven other books.

Don was elected by his peers to the presidency of the National Speakers Association, and has received its prestigious Cavett Award, as member of the year. He has also been honored with NSA's Speakers Hall of Fame Award, and is a recipient their Master of Influence Award along with such notables as Depok Chopra, Jack Kemp and Ronald Reagan. He is also a member of Speakers Roundtable.

He has addressed over 750 Realtor audiences including the National Association of Realtors on multiple occasions, as well as many prominent real estate companies.

https://donhutson.com/

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