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"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young."
-Henry Ford
At Auto & General, we believe that learning is about using the experiences you’ve gathered along your journey to reach your full potential. Lifelong learning is also about preserving your personal desire to obtain new knowledge outside of the formal education system. Developing an attitude where you are constantly learning is the most practical way of ensuring success in the fast-paced environment which we live in today.
Just like Henry Ford’s famous quote above, at Auto & General, we are constantly striving to improve our knowledge on all things insurance, and we believe that you can do the same in your personal and professional life. Here are ten ways to immerse yourself in lifelong learning:
1. Find your passion. Knowing what you are most passionate about will steer you in the right direction, and you will always be curious enough to learn more about your passion. Gaining more knowledge about what you are most passionate about will make the experience easier and more fulfilling.
2. Make a conscious decision to be a lifelong learner. Staying content with what you know and not making a conscious effort to learn more will create stagnation. Making a commitment to learn new things, to expand your knowledge, and to sharpen your personal and professional skills will help you grow in the right direction.
3. Make time. Many people use the lack of time as an excuse to stay stagnant on their journey of growth. Everyone is given the same amount of hours a day, and what you achieve in those hours is entirely up to you. Commuting time, time waiting for appointments, breaks from work, and other ‘scraps’ of time can add up to powerful learning if you use them well.
4. Read. Read. Read. Extensive reading encourages lifelong learning. Immersing yourself in a topic that interests you is a great way to learn more about the world around you.
5. Engage in work that encourages, requires, or supports your lifelong learning. Choose a career path that encourages and values your continual learning. Pursuing a career in an evolving area will ensure that you are constantly learning and developing your skillset.
6. Change your perception of learning. Learning doesn’t have to be in a formal classroom setting, nor does it have to be boring. Learning opportunities and experiences are all around you. Remember that learning isn’t confined to what’s found in educational books. Acquiring practical skillsets is a big part of it too.
7. Teach what you’re learning. When you teach, you become truly motivated to learn the material because you want to ensure that you are giving away the correct information. If you commit to teaching a subject or skill you don’t already know inside and out, you’ll learn a tremendous amount about it as you prepare.
8. Surround yourself with lifelong learners. The best way to stay motivated to continuously learn is to surround yourself with those who are also learning. They will encourage, push, support, and reinforce you as you explore your interests and continue to learn and grow.
9. Try new things -- often. Many lessons are learned through trial-and-error. Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again, and in George Bernard Shaw’s words, ‘A life spent making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.’
10. Repeat, repeat, repeat. While practice will not make you perfect, it will make you better in the long run. Don’t just read or listen your way to knowledge. Try to find practical ways to put your knowledge to work in the real world. If you want to master a new skill, there is simply no substitute for repetition, review, and practice.
Lifelong learning is a voluntary act of learning throughout life. It can enhance your understanding of the world around you, provide you with more and better opportunities, and help improve your quality of life. That is why at Auto & General, we are constantly striving to expose our teams to new and improved methods of servicing you, our valued client, and we use our experiences in the industry to improve our products and service offerings.
Experience has taught us that as our client, you seek only the very best when it comes to your insurance. That is why we have worked exceptionally hard over the past three decades to refine our insurance product offerings so that we can provide you and your loved ones with the best experiences possible. Visit our https://www.autogen.co.za today to find out more about why Auto & General continues to affirm its footing as a formidable leader in South Africa's competitive short-term insurance industry.
Information obtained from:
10 simple ways to engage in lifelong learning
How and why to become a lifelong learner