The biggest obstacle to learning is? Look in the mirror!

What are the key ingredients that turn a person into a life-long learner regardless of age, circumstances or traditional education? I recently attended the college graduation of three very special friends who have been very much part of my life the last 3-4 years. The challenge or gift I want them to experience is that learning is so much more than taking a class or getting a degree. It’s a daily choice to open your eyes, have your ears perked to hear and more importantly being teachable and willing to do something that is outside your box!

I’m always amazed at how many today don’t read, aren’t actively engage in becoming learners and then are surprised or upset when they don’t get that promotion, raise or happen to be clueless in a conversation that required some forethought! What has amazed me over the last decade as I’ve work with the full spectrum of people from PhD types, high school drop outs and little kids is that the person who is actively learning stands out from the crowd! I truly believe that the real gift that ‘keeps on giving’, to quote from a familiar Christmas movie, is the gift of being a learner!

I recently attended a Boy Scout Court of Honor to make a presentation on behalf of a scout who is in the process of getting the highest award, the Eagle! What impressed me with this group of young men wasn’t the long list of things they were doing; this was expected to be a Scout but it was seeing two moms who had gone on a 50 plus mile hike across the rims of the Grand Canyon. These moms represent what it means to be an active learner who aren’t afraid to do something new, challenging and outside the box. What was hilarious with this was listening to the scoutmaster make the concession, difficult for men, that these moms could kick his ‘butt’ when it came to this exhausting trek!

It’s never too late to choose to be a learner that actively engages in listening, observing and get this; asking questions! Please don’t make excuses about how circumstances or a certain person has stopped you from growing!

Be a life-long leaner!