As the kids go back to school and continue their educational journey, it is important to realize that the quest for knowledge and our need for information is a lifelong driving force. Continuing to have a thirst for knowledge is not only beneficial for your social and professional life, but also is also essential to your mental and physical health as well.
In our fast-paced society, where information and knowledge in most fields is doubling every two to three years, it is extremely important to continue learning in order to perform at an effective and productive level in your professional life. Increasing one’s knowledge can lead to a promotion and possibly more money. For my clients, mostly corporate ones, it is extremely important to their careers to be extremely knowledgeable about the market and informed about new technological innovations and current events in order to do their job properly.
Socially, it is important to keep informed about current events and technology in order to participate in intellectual conversations and activities with others. Lifelong learning provides a greater sense of self-esteem and self-fulfillment and helps to improve interpersonal relationship skills.
Health-wise, there seem to be a lot of current studies emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning. A recent study in The Journal of Gerontopsychology and Geriatric Psychiatry suggests, “An enriched environment, whether through a formal university program or self-directed learning, has an important role in active aging and helping older adults compensate for cognitive and emotional decline. ”
Below are some helpful tips to help satisfy your need for knowledge:
Read more. Instead of turning on the television, pick up a book or Kindle, or read a newspaper and learn more about current events. Reading articles in your field can help you keep informed and will increase your knowledge base.
Learn a new language. Learning a new language can be beneficial to both your professional and social life and will allow you to travel and communicate with native speakers.
Take classes: Sign up for a class, either online or at a current university. Taking a class allows you to pursue a subject of interest and to meet new people. Often times you can audit classes at prestigious universities to better assess out of the box career options should you be looking to make a change.
Listen to experts. Go to conferences in your professional field and listen to speakers in your field of interest. Attending conferences and forums will keep you informed of issues and up to date on current research, as well as allow you to network with individuals in your field.
Participate in meaningful discussion. The simple act of participating in intellectual conversation keeps your mind active and provides you with new insights and perspectives on a topic.
Challenge your brain with brain games. Participating in simple brain activities on your phone or playing games such as Sudoku and Words With Friends can keep your brain active.
Since knowledge and information gathering can give you the edge in life, it’s time to take action and feed your brain with these helpful strategies. Don’t live in the dark and let others have a knowledge advantage over you. When you hold the information, you are in control in an uncertain world, and will have the competitive edge in all aspects of your life.
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