Never stop learning because life never stops teaching.
Author Brian Herbert wrote, “The capacity to learn is a gift… the ability to learn is a skill… the willingness to learn is a choice.”
While interviewing my longtime friend Dan Cathy, the chairman of Chick-fil-A, onstage at a City of Acworth hosted “lunch n’ learn,” I noticed Dan’s name badge. I am thrilled to share it with you… below.
Yes, you read it right. “47 Years of Service… IN TRAINING.”
When I asked Dan about the badge, he responded with “I believe we all must be ‘students at heart’ and understand the importance of challenging ourselves to expand our mind’s horizons.” He shared with the audience that he’s always reading books, listening to podcasts, going out of his way to meet new (and interesting) people and wore the badge on his lapel because he is committed to “always learning.”
Learning is a continuous process and one that is tightly connected to improvement, growth and moving forward. Martin Luther King wrote, “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep on learning to keep moving forward.”
There should be joy in learning something new. Too often, we are paralyzed by our paradigms. In other words, we stick to doing things and viewing things “the way we’ve always done them.” The mind is clearly like a parachute. It only works when it’s open. Therefore, being a “paradigm pioneer” and applying new learning is a proven way to achieve new heights and success.
After being a collegiate student-athlete, I started my work career out as a college Football and Lacrosse coach. That was five decades ago. After a few years of coaching, I left that career to pursue opportunities in corporate America. Although I coached my children in multiple sports over the years and also helped various high schools out with building their Lacrosse programs, my focused coaching activities were very “part time.”
That changed when I received a phone call from Kennesaw State University inviting me to consider joining the Men’s Club Lacrosse Team in the role of “senior advisor” and coach.
I jumped at the chance to return to my career roots and again coach college Lacrosse. Although the experience was exhilarating and very exciting, it put me in the position of having to “re-learn” the intricacies and complexities of a sport that had changed dramatically since I was a young coach.
I read books on the sport. I viewed films on the sport. I spoke to old friends who stayed in coaching for the decades I was out of coaching. I again became a student of the sport. Why? Simply put, things change. Lacrosse had changed in so many ways and if this old coach (allegedly I am the oldest college Lacrosse coach in the America) were to succeed, I needed to make a dedicated commitment to learning. And I learned a lot. And I’m still learning. It was work. It was also a joy… especially when I saw the application of my learning proving successful on the field.
Once again, “When you’re through learning, you’re through.”
Why is it that great authors like like J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) attend writer’s workshops and continually work on their craft? Why is it that great coaches like former Duke University Men’s Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski (“Coach K”) attended coach’s clinics to learn new, and improved, basketball coaching strategies while he was an active coach? Why is it that Microsoft founder Bill Gates tries to attend some online course of education every day so he can be exposed to fresh new ideas.
The answer is simple and profoundly said by Leonardo da Vinci, “Learning never exhausts the mind. For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them. Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.”
Whether it’s consuming information in trade publications, attending conferences in (and out of) your industry, reading magazine articles, going to speaking engagements to hear subject matter experts, regularly reading a new book, listening to podcasts and more… embrace learning. Da Vinci said it well, nobody can take education, insights and learning away from you.
It’s yours to own and use to go, as well as grow, forward.
Closing with the profound words of Dr. Seuss, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Ira Blumenthal is a business consultant, a Georgia resident, a best-selling author, a globally renowned public speaker, a university educator and a college Lacrosse coach. Ira welcomes inquiries and can be reached at Ira@Iraspeak.com. His web site is www.IraSpeak.com
