Lifelong learning

While serving as a judicatory minister one of my fellow ministers told me one day he had never seen anyone more committed to lifelong learning that I was. I guess he may have been right. I've spent much of my life attending college and graduate schools and more seminars than I can remember. While many people go to college and even get advanced degrees, they do so in order to find employment. I was working full-time while earning every degree. I never attended one class in order to get a job. I attended those schools and earned those degrees to better myself, to grow personally so I could be more effective in the work I was already doing.

I sit here typing these words looking at the walls in my study lined with bookshelves that are filled to overflowing with books. Seven bookshelves in total that are literally overflowing with books, and that doesn't include the ones I've sold or given away over the years. They are another testimony to my commitment to continue learning as long as I live. I'm retired now, but I want to keep on learning and growing. So should you.

In case you haven't noticed, the job market in the US is rapidly changing. Some 20 million jobs are lost or restructured every year. Some tell us that the typical individual entering the job market today can expect to have about 11 different full-time jobs in his or her working lifetime. To believe you can get a degree in some field and spend the rest of your life working using the knowledge you gained during your four years in college is a fantasy. Even if you kept doing the work you were trained to do, it will change many times during your working career. As I often say, job security is gone. The best we can hope for is employment security, and that requires one to be flexible and knowledgeable.

Lifelong learning is a critical component for employment security. The more you know, the more skills you've mastered, the more likely it will be that you can find a job if the one you have now disappears. This doesn't mean you have to spend years in formal education. You can gain a lot of knowledge by attending seminars and conferences, asking questions of successful people in fields in which you are interested, by reading good books, and being inquisitive. You may be surprised at how something you learn at some event that has nothing to do with your current career can come in handy down the road.

I grew up on dairy farms. We raised corn and soybeans, baled hay, and raised tobacco in addition to milking cows twice a day. It's been many years since I plowed a field and even longer since I milked a cow, but I still use things I learned back then as a kid. I learned the value of hard work, the importance of refusing to quit when things got difficult, and the importance of being a person of my word. I use what I learned back then nearly every day of my life.

The average American will read four books a year and studies determined that 25 percent of Americans did not read even one book in 2017. I wonder how much they are learning and how prepared they will be when they are forced to seek other employment. Mark Cuban reads for three hours every day. Warren Buffett spends about 80 percent of his days reading. Bill Gates reads an average of 50 books a year. None of these billionaires has to read another book the rest of their lives. But they do because each of them are committed to being a life-long learner. They choose to read because they have chosen to continue to grow.

Each of should make the same choice.

You are shaped by two things.

Charles "Tremendous" Jones was a well known motivational speaker. One of his best known quotes was “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read.” There is a lot of truth in those words.

We are shaped by the books we read. Unfortunately, the average American reads about four books a year, and many of them are for entertainment, not for personal growth. That's the average which means some read even less! Compare that to the reading habits of some of America's most successful people.

• When Warren Buffett started his investment career he read 600-1000 pages a day and still spends about 80 percent of each day reading. When asked about the keys to success he replied that people need to read 500 pages a day to be successful.
• Mark Cuban reads about three hours a day to stay current on changes in business and technology.
• Bill Gates reads approximately 50 books a year. He never goes anywhere without a book to read when he has a few minutes.
• Believe it or not, Elon Musk learned how to build rockets through reading.
• Tony Robbins had a difficult childhood and poured himself into reading. He read 700 books in seven years that focused on anything that could improve one's life.

Someone reading this might argue that they don't have time to read 500 pages a day. I understand that. But, we need to remember that these people were not billionaires when they began their reading habits. They were just starting out trying to make their mark in the world. They had very little extra time to read, but they also realized that they needed to increase their knowledge if they wanted to succeed. They invested in themselves.

My goal is to read one book a week. Most of these have been non-fiction. I focus much of my reading on books about leadership, personal growth, theology and ministry. With the shelter-in-place in effect, I will, at a minimum, double the number of books I normally read in a year.

Maybe reading isn't easy for you or you are someone who just doesn't enjoy reading. No problem. With books on audio, many available for free from your library, and podcasts you can listen to the books that will help you grow and become more successful.

The second thing he mentioned was the people we meet. I like to spend as much time as possible with positive, upbeat people. These are the people who lift you up every time you are around them. They believe in you which helps you believe in yourself. I avoid toxic people as much as possible. These are the ones who are going nowhere with their lives and don't want anyone else to accomplish anything either.

When I am with people in this second group as a part of ministry, it is to help encourage them, build them up to where they can see their potential. I want them to begin to see new possibilities that can be theirs if they begin to make better choices in their lives. What I don't allow them to do is to discourage me or pull me into their negativity.

It's important to meet people who have been where you want to go in life. They've walked where you want to walk, and they know where the dangers lie. Many of them are willing to pass on what they've learned, if they sense you really want to learn.

If you want to enjoy success in every area of your life, it's important that you choose to spend time reading good books that will point you in the right direction. It's equally important that you choose relationships that will be positive and uplifting for each of you. These choices have significant consequences attached to them.