School is over... real life is here! All of the sudden you realize that you need more skills and tools, than the education system has taught you, or, provide you with.
Besides, the world is constantly changing, you need to adapt to new technologies and areas. If you didn't finished school you definitely need to become a lifelong learner.
Lifelong learning is a never ending process of pursuing knowledge and developing skills to support your life.
You definitely need to be a lifelong learner if you want to be successful.
That's the path that some people followed, and, that eventually landed them a wealthy living, despite having few or no education.
If people without a degree manage to do it. you too can do it regardless of your studies. It's all about dedication and commitment.
Analyze your life, specially your current professional career:
- What skills do you need to improve?
- What things can make you reach the next level?
- What new skills is your current job demanding from you?
By becoming a lifelong learner you embrace personal development as a way of living. You become a student of life, that continuously searches for ways to improve and become better.
We're going to give you suggestions about lifelong learning skills you need to be successful in today's world:
26 Lifelong Learning Skills You Need To Be Successful
1. Critical Thinking. This is number one in our opinion. You can't expect to be fed with information and take it for granted. Today's society is full of the so called "fake news" and the school system almost obligates you to memorize things, contrary to learning them in the long run. In real life, you have to think with your own head, to be capable of analyzing situations and make your own judgement. Then, you can select what provides value to your life and what doesn't. Gather the good stuff and make your own library of knowledge.
2. Problem Solving. The professional world doesn't have time for worries and complains. Problems exist so that you can solve them and become better or wiser. By being capable of analyzing problems from all angles you can come up with the solution. You'll have obstacles in your way at some point, so you need to find ways to overcome them.
3. Languages Learning. You can't stick to your native language and expect to be successful. The world is opening frontiers, learning foreign languages is indispensable to connect with other people and to learn from other cultures. Not only you can connect and learn, but by learning a new language you can develop new areas of your mind and strengthen your brain.
4. Basic Computer Skills. Back then if you want to learn you need go to the local library and pick up a book. Now, information is at the distance of a click. You need to know how to search for information online to learn new things. Of course, depending on your profession computer skills might differ, but the basics are needed nevertheless: know how to write a document, make a spreadsheet, create a presentation, edit images and videos, write basic code, make a website and so on.
5. Communication. With today's growing social networks, communication took another step beyond the traditional face to face interaction. You need to know how to address and engage with people in social media. Of course, you still need to know how to interact face to face: be a good listener, work on your non-verbal communication, know what to say and how to say it. Communication is such a vast field that some skills need to be addressed solo.
6. To Give A Presentation. You need to know how to present information to others. You may want to sell your product, to be hired by a specific company, to express yourself in a meeting, to give a public speech or to create a "how to" video, for instances. You can only do those things if you know how to clearly present information to people.
7. Interpersonal Skills. How to relate and interact with others on a daily basis. What questions to make, what answers to give. You need to know how to work in a team, how to negotiate, how to influence others and how to solve conflicts.
8. Self-Communication. Besides interacting with others you need to also know how to interact with yourself. Yes this may sound foolish, but self-talk is a powerful tool to keep on learning. It all happens silently and mentally, your own thoughts and the questions & answers, you give to yourself conduct your daily actions. Address it, meditation can be a great way to achieve this.
9. Creativity. If you master critical thinking and problem solving you can develop your creativity. This is very necessary in our era, where everything seems to be invented, you need to come up with ways to create new things and have new ideas. By being creative you can get that promotion, or create your own lane and develop your own business.
10. Motivation. How to stay continually interested in lifelong learning as a way of living. What are your incentives and impulses? What really motivates you to do it? Knowing and reminding yourself of what drives you to learn is crucial to keep on doing it. This is a key aspect, common to every successful people, they knew why they wanted to do it, and they were relentless about it.
11. Positive Mindset. Your approach on life, if you're negative all the time your whole learning experience is in jeopardy. To get the best out of life experiences (in other words, to take lessons from it), you need to have a positive mental attitude. When something negative happens, how do you react? By having a positive mindset you can see the value in that specific situation, and acquire the necessary knowledge to keep on going.
12. Reading Regularly. Develop the capability of reading as often as you can, search for new information and get that knowledge. Reading will make wonders to your brain. Also, knowing how to interpret that information, will improve your capability of understanding what is happening in your life. You can find solutions and ideas quicker by reading powerful books and articles.
13. Producing Your Own Writings. This is also a way of stimulating your brain and expanding your mind. You don't need to become a writer or write a whole book (if it fits you, why not?). Create the daily habit of writing your personal thoughts and strategies, in a journal or a diary.
14. Productive Study Strategies. Yes if we're talking about learning, we need to address your study techniques. It's all about how can you learn faster and effectively? Some people are stimulated by audiovisual content, others by written works, or even study quotes. Get to know yourself and pick the best technique or a few of them. What works best for you? Drawing diagrams to better understand? Speaking out loud the information? Teaching somebody else what you've just learned? Watching documentaries? Speed reading?
15. Goal Setting. You want to learn, best way to do is to transform it into a goal you have to achieve. Learn how to set goals and how goal-setting can make you reach the things you want, faster and with precision. If you are driven, you know what your target is and what you need to do in order to hit that target. After achieving a goal you can always set another one, more ambitious and daring. After that, another one, and so on. It can be a never ending growing experience, and growth is what learning must be all about.
16. Collaboration. We told you teamwork is important, but also teaming up with other teams or people is decisive. Some people know some subjects better than you or your team, they've specialized on those subjects.You need to be able to reach out and honor your compromises. This also works the other way around, people will need your knowledge and skills, be ready to provide help. It's all about contributing to a non-stop growing community.
17. Seizing The Moment. This might not seem a skill, but having this type of attitude will make active and ready to seize opportunities when they arrive. You need to be present and constantly engaged in life to have the best possible results. Your mind and your body need to be together wherever you are, make sure your timing is sharp.
18. Active Citizenship. You can't be caught up in the excuses people make about the political landscape (like the administration, the government or the president), but you can't ignore the political system also. Actively participate in your duties as a citizen, understand a little about the law, be unafraid to express your own thoughts, be involved in your local community and democracy at any scale.
19. Leadership. All we've talked about demands from you a great capacity of leadership at all levels. From the courageous way you need to conduct yourself through your daily tasks, to the way you engage with others and inspire, or, influence them to become better. Successful people are recognized as being great leaders, because good leadership starts from within. They have worked on their personality traits and skills, that enable them to reach out to others and encourage people.
20. Being A Change Agent. As you learn to structure well your own thoughts, you will come up with new intents that can make a difference in the system. Your ideas can become valuable assets to a constantly changing world. The world will change by itself, but you can be an agent of that change. Make the best out of it, by acknowledging your power and making a contribution to change things for the better.
21. Financial Skills. No way around it, money is necessary in today's world. Basically, to survive and provide for your family, and ultimately, to give you the necessary freedom to do whatever you want. Therefore, having a long term financial strategy it's indispensable. You need to know: how to generate an income, how to keep track of your expenses, how to invest money you make and create a profit, and so on. In order to generate wealth that can support your way of living, you definitively must keep studying economics.
22. Mentoring And Coaching. Life has provided you with valuable lessons and experiences, you've committed yourself to learn from them and you have built your own wisdom about a very narrow field, or, about life in general. The best way you can put that wisdom to the test and keep on learning from it, is to teach or advise others. The tasks of mentoring and coaching are great ways to achieve that. Coach some young or less knowledgeable people in your work, be available to mentor someone who seeks help from you. Knowing what to say and what to do, makes you re-learn what you have learned.
23. Adaptability. We told you, the world is constantly changing and you are constantly changing also. Today you have a job, tomorrow you can be unemployed or vice versa.You might be forced to change career, or you just might feel the need to do it. You need to be able to adapt to situations. Preparation plays a major role, when you study and develop yourself into a lifelong learner, you need to diversify your skills and abilities. Get know other fields and cultures. So that you're ready to quickly adapt to a new situation and, eventually, create a new lane for your professional career.
24. Living Healthy. While wealth can give the financial support you need for your family and your projects, health is decisive to support everything you do. Your body is the place where you live in, you need to stay healthy to keep on living and learning. Important disciplines like nutrition, exercise and well being need to be addressed. Get some knowledge about them, introduce them in your daily routine and practice them. Your body and your mind will thank you. Your learning capacity will increase if you are healthy.
25. Building Your Personal Library Of Knowledge. This is an idea I got from the late Jim Rohn. If you are committed to be a lifelong learner you need to keep track of the knowledge you gather throughout the years. By library, we mean books of course, but any resource of knowledge is acceptable. You've read a book that inspired you a couple a years ago, do you throw it away? Of course not! Keep it stored in a shelf at home containing your favorite books. You can always go there at anytime and pick up stuff that inspires you. Keep files of information and data on your pc and external disk. Also record information about what you do daily, it can be in form of a journal, a dairy, lists of things (movies, documentaries, books), videos, images, diagrams or audiotapes. The important thing is to keep a record, so you can come back to it later and remember, or, recycle your learning experience.
26. Aging. This relates to health but also to a "myth" that keeps haunting us: it's too late to learn or too late to change. Not it isn't, never is really. To be a lifelong learner that myth must vanish from your head. You need to have a daring mental attitude where learning is something you can do at any age. School years are gone a long time ago, the school of life is your school now. As long as you keep living you can keep on learning.
26. Aging. This relates to health but also to a "myth" that keeps haunting us: it's too late to learn or too late to change. Not it isn't, never is really. To be a lifelong learner that myth must vanish from your head. You need to have a daring mental attitude where learning is something you can do at any age. School years are gone a long time ago, the school of life is your school now. As long as you keep living you can keep on learning.
We hope you've enjoyed this list of skills you need to have for a successful lifelong learning experience.
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