Systematic improvement has us always learning

I love to learn new things.  I took a wine tour about a year ago at a local winery.  While I enjoyed a little relaxation, time with my wife and some great wine, I was surprised that when we took a tour of the facility I was so entertained.

Part of it was the incredible true story about the property, but more than that, I started to realize that I just really enjoy learning something new.  I learned about the history and famous criminals who took part in a shoot-out with police there in 1922.  I learned about the process of making wine.  I learned about the architecture of the various buildings. 

For me learning something new provides more than entertainment.  It constantly ties into systems thinking or provides outside examples of systems and processes.  Often, the further away from the business world, the better the systems examples. 

But most people that I meet disregard learning.  They look at a continuing education course they need to keep their license with boredom and discontentment.  They look at an educational tour as taking them away from their relaxation and entertainment, not an extension of it.

I felt the same way for years.  I looked at education and learning as a necessary evil that I had to complete in order to move onto something better.  I looked at challenges at work that forced me to explore something new, as an annoyance. 

In What Do You Want To Create Today, by Dr. Bob Tobin, the author says, “I like to think of learning on the job as a type of compensation.  The next time you have a big challenge, remember that you are getting paid while you learn.  You spent money for the degree you earned in a formal educational program, but learning at work is often more valuable than the education you paid for.  And it’s better than free.  You are getting paid to do it.”

 So if you start your journey of improvement using the systems and habits approach, you will likely find that all of the small changes you make require that you keep learning.  You have to learn more about the food you eat if you are trying to get healthier and lose weight.  You have to learn more about finances if you want to start to build wealth.

You have to learn more about education and various degrees if you decide to further your education.  You have to learn more about yourself if you want to improve your communication skills.

Whatever it is that you want to improve, if you follow systematic improvement you will find that learning is one of the most important aspects of it.  You have to keep learning and growing in order to keep making progress towards your goals. 

By doing this you will start to change.  You will start to become the person that you need to be in order to reach those new heights and accomplish those goals and dreams. 

So instead of looking at learning as something that you do when forced, start to look at every chance to learn as a way to keep improving.  You will acquire more knowledge and slowly over time implement new methods in order to succeed.  And you will likely find hidden enjoyment in areas that you previously found boring or frustrating.