It’s a great ambition to be a lifelong learner! But if you get stuck in “want to” mode and never move to action mode, it won’t mean much.
You may feel that there are just too many obstacles to learning the things you have always wanted to know how to do, but if you really want to, you can cut those obstacles down to size.
Time
Time is perhaps a greater commodity in our busy lives than even money. I get it. But anything worth doing is worth taking the time for. Life is about much more than just work.
Etching out time for yourself to grow and develop your intellect is important to overall happiness. Being happy is worth taking some time out to learn a new skill.
Money
If you want to learn to fly airplanes, yes, you will need a nice chunk of change. However, there are many things you can learn for little or nothing at all! If you don’t have a lot of money to spend on learning, consider some low-cost learning opportunities, such as taking a course on Udemy instead of one on the same topic at the local university.
Or start a remote control airplane enthusiasts club by hanging flyers on bulletin boards around town. If learning is the goal, there are many inexpensive ways.
Opportunities
Some people who live in rural areas believe there isn’t any opportunity for them to learn new things. They don’t live near a metropolis where there are all types of classes offered. But in the world of the Internet, it doesn’t matter where you live! If you have Internet access, there’s no end to the things you can learn. Lumosity, Udemy, TED talks, forums, groups and others are available for all.
Or if you want, you could start your own group where people can learn from one another, like a book club. Living in a rural community or without transportation to get to classes is no longer an issue in this day and age.
Intelligence
Many people who had bad experiences in school feel they aren’t smart enough to be a lifelong learner. But that’s crazy! We all have talents and interests. And we all have the capability to learn something new. Remember, lifelong learning has nothing to do with scores or grades. It’s all about learning for fun and enjoyment. It’s about making your life more fulfilling and happy.
If believing you aren’t smart enough to learn something new has been holding you back, start with something small that you already know you have an aptitude for. Once you succeed with that, it will be easier to step out of your comfort zone and try something more challenging.
