Successful people are learners; they learn and grow in life. Learning matters the most when it comes to succeeding in any area of life, whether it’s a career, job, relationship, health, and wealth.
The ability to learn is a skill that you can acquire. It means that you can learn to learn. So, if you want to become successful, you ought to have this skill.
There are different forms of learning—by reading, writing, listening, and most importantly, doing.
Think of a successful person in any area—sports, business, finance, speaking, writing, so forth. That person is successful because he or she knows how to do something the best way possible. And, they can do that because they learned and practiced doing it for a long time.
Most successful people are also enthusiastic about learning new things. They take an interest in knowing about a particular topic or idea. In other words, they are constant learners.
Learn to Learn
We are learning all the time, whether consciously or unconsciously. Conscious learning is when you sit down and take action to learn something. You do it by gathering the materials, utilizing them, and practicing them to become good at what you are trying to learn.
On the other hand, unconscious learning is when you are not trying to learn something, but you do it without any awareness. A good example is speaking your native language. We learn to speak our native language during childhood by listening to our parents and other people talk.
Most of our learning is conscious, which is the primary form of learning. We read, watch videos, listen to relevant content, and practice. Doing these things helps us learn.
As I said, learning is crucial for success. It does not matter which method you use, but you should have immense knowledge in your field of work. Constantly acquiring the skills and knowledge to grow yourself is the best path to success.
For me, the best form of learning is by reading books and watching videos. I am a consistent reader. I read self-help and philosophy books that help me become a better person. Furthermore, I also read articles, newsletters, and blogs that help me learn new things.
Additionally, I learn by watching videos on YouTube—one of the most common forms of learning today. It has made me acquire knowledge in different areas of life.
Learn by Doing
The best form of learning is by doing. You can read thousands of books, but it won’t be beneficial if you don’t implement the learnings in your life.
You have to put your learnings to practice. Most people believe that they must acquire the knowledge first and take action only when they have enough knowledge. That is not how one should learn. Instead, we must do both of them simultaneously.
There are hundreds of learning examples to show that the best form of learning is by doing. For instance, learning to swim can only be done by getting into the water and moving your body. You cannot do it by reading a “how to swim” book.
Similarly, if you want to play the piano (or any musical instrument), you have to practice it. You cannot read music theory and become fluent at playing the piano. For that, you must put your fingers on the keys and press them.
Learning by doing applies to almost everything. If you are constantly failing to learn something, it means you lack practice—the act of doing.
Unlearning
Sometimes you have to unlearn things before you learn them. What is unlearning? According to Logic Earth Learning Services, unlearning is the process of discarding something from your memory. When you unlearn something, you forget it, put it aside, and lose knowledge.
You unlearn things to get rid of the stereotypical idea about something. Sometimes, this idea might be blocking you from learning what something truly means.
If you want to learn something from the root, first of all, forget what you already know. Start by assuming that you do not know anything about it. This way, you can acquire actual knowledge of the subject.
Learning Never Ends
Life is full of lessons. You learn throughout your life—even at the age of 80 (assuming you will live till then) when you are almost towards the end of your life.
People often mistake learning with formal education. So, they assume that learning ends when you get a high school or college degree. Completing academic education is merely the beginning of learning. You learn more from life than in school.
Family, relationships, health, work, business—you learn something from each of them. So, learning is a part of life.
Final Thought
Highly successful people are all learners. The primary thing that separates them from other learners is that they learn and do. They make mistakes; they fail. Failure is also a learning opportunity. It is one of the most important lessons that can help you grow.
Success is not tied to a single aspect. For instance, habits, skills, knowledge, luck (sometimes), and persistence are a big part of your success. But, your ability to learn comes at the top.
So, if you want to achieve success, become a better learner. Acquire the skills to learn anything. When you have the skills, put them to use. Practice what you learn and take action.
