Your learning strategy is critical to success
20 years ago, things did not change so fast. Change was even slower 30 years ago. In those times, one could reasonable study for 3-4 years at university, graduate and do a job for a fairly long time.
Today, however, things change so fast, not just at the superficial level but also structurally. There are deep changes sweeping across society and the economy, and the only people who will survive and prosper are those who have a clear, winning and strategic LEARNING STRATEGY.
You have a good learning strategy if you know EXACTLY what specific knowledge you must acquire and practice applying, and you know EXACTLY how you are going about, every day, acquiring, absorbing and assimilating that strategic knowledge.
The way to know, for sure, whether you are actually learning anything new every day, is to look at what you WROTE that day. Indeed, life is like a perpetual seminar and if you're not taking notes, then chances are, you are not learning anything new.
Not learning anything new is okay, if you are currently living the perfect life that you've always dreamt of living.
We both know that this is impossible or, at least, very unlikely.
It is part of human nature to want more, to experience more, to achieve more. This is why billionaire Richard Branson is launching Virgin Galactic, a space shuttle company for space tourism. After that, I suspect he will launch Virgin Time Travel in case you want to go back in time and do some "historical tourism."
If I were a billionaire, I would probably build a huge harem. Maybe a harem in space! :-)
Anyways, back to your life.
You probably want MORE. If so, the success secret is to craft a good, solid learning strategy.
Once you have a good learning strategy, the next step is to create an "automated learning system" or ALS.
The best ALS would be like the one in the movie The Matrix, where you sit down in a dentist chair, and somebody plugs a wire into the back of your head. Then, you'd be able to download, straight into your little cranium, all the strategic knowledge you need in order to -- no, not kick ass in a dojo -- perform spectacularly well at what you chose as a profession or career.
Of course, such an ultra-efficient teaching device doesn't yet exist, but one day, I suspect it will.
So for now, you'll have to learn the good old way: by actually reading books and taking notes.
Here's a relevant quote from Socrates: "I cannot teach a man anything, but I can make him think."
In other words, as you craft and develop your daily learning strategy, make sure that you insert in your life things and texts and books and objects that make you think. Any device or reminder or ritual etc. that make you stop and think, will help you to grow your cerebral capacity.
A good tip is to do like kids, and keep asking "Why?"
People who ask "Why?" a lot, eventually become bosses, presidents and captains of industry. Michael Dell probably asked himself, one day during his college years: "Why do I have to sell computers the way it's been done traditionally, via retail stores?"
Billionaire Charlie Munger, who had a great influence on the young Warren Buffett, also advises people to ask "Why?" often. Don't take anything for granted, ESPECIALLY the information that other people "prepare" for you. Society is an environment FULL of highly sophisticated deception, and that is because everybody wants your money. Including me. (I'm just kidding, this blog will remain free for the next 100 years, haha!).
Most people don't ask "Why?" They ask "What? When? Where?" They are party animals! LOL!
They go where things seem to be "happening", they go where there's a large crowd. People very much prefer the psychological comfort and apparent security provided by a herd, although everybody without exception believes himself/herself to be "special"!
It's important to understand that the What, When and Where are less important than the How, which is itself less important than the Why.
What/When/Where information are facts, How information are tactics or techniques, while Why information is all about principles and fundamental causes.
In other words, you get maximum leverage from Why knowledge, and least leverage (if at all) from What/When/Where information.
To acquire Why knowledge, read books.
Newspapers and TV news programs, for the most part, only contain What/When/Where information. They will not empower you.
When you have Why knowledge, you can also predict, explain and control (or influence) other people's behavior.
For example, I know WHY news media exist. I know WHY reporters write: to provide good stories, which will attract readers or viewers, increase ratings or circulation, and thus pay the reporter's salary.
So every time I wrote a press release for the news media, I write it in such a way that the reporter does NOT have to rewrite it or edit it. He can just use the story AS IS. I don't mind that he signs his name under the headline. I get the ink and media space, he gets a story and the credit. We both win.
My point is that the more strategic and systemic knowledge you have, the more results you can generate, even with a small amount of effort.
The key is to have in place a daily learning strategy where you learn more and more about how to INCREASE your leverage. Read Jay Abraham's books and tapes to learn more about leverage, or Eli Goldratt to learn about how to blast your constraints.
If you would just commit to read a book for only half an hour per day, or even one full hour, you will begin to see significant and positive changes in your life.
That's because knowledge is power, and this power drives your mind, resulting in your making finer and sharper distinctions whenever you have to make decisions. And as your decisions get better, so will your life.
Today, however, things change so fast, not just at the superficial level but also structurally. There are deep changes sweeping across society and the economy, and the only people who will survive and prosper are those who have a clear, winning and strategic LEARNING STRATEGY.
You have a good learning strategy if you know EXACTLY what specific knowledge you must acquire and practice applying, and you know EXACTLY how you are going about, every day, acquiring, absorbing and assimilating that strategic knowledge.
The way to know, for sure, whether you are actually learning anything new every day, is to look at what you WROTE that day. Indeed, life is like a perpetual seminar and if you're not taking notes, then chances are, you are not learning anything new.
Not learning anything new is okay, if you are currently living the perfect life that you've always dreamt of living.
We both know that this is impossible or, at least, very unlikely.
It is part of human nature to want more, to experience more, to achieve more. This is why billionaire Richard Branson is launching Virgin Galactic, a space shuttle company for space tourism. After that, I suspect he will launch Virgin Time Travel in case you want to go back in time and do some "historical tourism."
If I were a billionaire, I would probably build a huge harem. Maybe a harem in space! :-)
Anyways, back to your life.
You probably want MORE. If so, the success secret is to craft a good, solid learning strategy.
Once you have a good learning strategy, the next step is to create an "automated learning system" or ALS.
The best ALS would be like the one in the movie The Matrix, where you sit down in a dentist chair, and somebody plugs a wire into the back of your head. Then, you'd be able to download, straight into your little cranium, all the strategic knowledge you need in order to -- no, not kick ass in a dojo -- perform spectacularly well at what you chose as a profession or career.
Of course, such an ultra-efficient teaching device doesn't yet exist, but one day, I suspect it will.
So for now, you'll have to learn the good old way: by actually reading books and taking notes.
Here's a relevant quote from Socrates: "I cannot teach a man anything, but I can make him think."
In other words, as you craft and develop your daily learning strategy, make sure that you insert in your life things and texts and books and objects that make you think. Any device or reminder or ritual etc. that make you stop and think, will help you to grow your cerebral capacity.
A good tip is to do like kids, and keep asking "Why?"
People who ask "Why?" a lot, eventually become bosses, presidents and captains of industry. Michael Dell probably asked himself, one day during his college years: "Why do I have to sell computers the way it's been done traditionally, via retail stores?"
Billionaire Charlie Munger, who had a great influence on the young Warren Buffett, also advises people to ask "Why?" often. Don't take anything for granted, ESPECIALLY the information that other people "prepare" for you. Society is an environment FULL of highly sophisticated deception, and that is because everybody wants your money. Including me. (I'm just kidding, this blog will remain free for the next 100 years, haha!).
Most people don't ask "Why?" They ask "What? When? Where?" They are party animals! LOL!
They go where things seem to be "happening", they go where there's a large crowd. People very much prefer the psychological comfort and apparent security provided by a herd, although everybody without exception believes himself/herself to be "special"!
It's important to understand that the What, When and Where are less important than the How, which is itself less important than the Why.
What/When/Where information are facts, How information are tactics or techniques, while Why information is all about principles and fundamental causes.
In other words, you get maximum leverage from Why knowledge, and least leverage (if at all) from What/When/Where information.
To acquire Why knowledge, read books.
Newspapers and TV news programs, for the most part, only contain What/When/Where information. They will not empower you.
When you have Why knowledge, you can also predict, explain and control (or influence) other people's behavior.
For example, I know WHY news media exist. I know WHY reporters write: to provide good stories, which will attract readers or viewers, increase ratings or circulation, and thus pay the reporter's salary.
So every time I wrote a press release for the news media, I write it in such a way that the reporter does NOT have to rewrite it or edit it. He can just use the story AS IS. I don't mind that he signs his name under the headline. I get the ink and media space, he gets a story and the credit. We both win.
My point is that the more strategic and systemic knowledge you have, the more results you can generate, even with a small amount of effort.
The key is to have in place a daily learning strategy where you learn more and more about how to INCREASE your leverage. Read Jay Abraham's books and tapes to learn more about leverage, or Eli Goldratt to learn about how to blast your constraints.
If you would just commit to read a book for only half an hour per day, or even one full hour, you will begin to see significant and positive changes in your life.
That's because knowledge is power, and this power drives your mind, resulting in your making finer and sharper distinctions whenever you have to make decisions. And as your decisions get better, so will your life.
posted by Super Peter at 8:01 PM
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