Bearing the Time it Takes to Learn New Skills and Become a Life Long Learner

Learning new skills is not easy and comes with a level of stress. It doesn't matter if discussing sports, work or college as the process of learning requires the ability to work to new levels of mastery. The difference between those who are successful and those who are unsuccessful are the ones that bear the difficulties of the learning process.

Think of when you started a new job or tried to do something you never did before. It took some time for you to learn how to complete the task. At first you were lost and then you were able to complete the function a few times with each subsequent time becoming easier. With more effort you will eventually reach a point where many of the actions became automatic.

Learning comes with stress and frustration for many because it requires significant energy to continue trying after failure. Yet failure is not really failure unless you stop trying. Each time you put effort toward something you will learn from that effort regardless of the outcome.

With enough effort and time you will eventually succeed but this success comes with a cost. That cost is in terms of choices and alternative routes. People should try and put their energies where they have natural skills that will complement their effort and create the greatest chances of success. Frustration will be less if you are learning something you have an innate skill in.

It is also beneficial to consider where your interests lay. Doing something you have no interest in simply because your family did it, your friends like it, or society expects it is a sure way to boredom and burnout. You have to chart your own course in learning these skills and the paths you take. It will benefit you in the long run.

Believe in yourself. Learning is not easy and takes time. The biggest failure that occurs is when people give up. Some people give up because of poor self-efficacy that leads to self-doubt. It may be hard but if you push yourself, continue to focus on your goals, and do the work everyday you will get where you want.

Learning isn't easy but it does provide benefits of development for us as individuals and we as society. Becoming a life long learner can help you overcome challenges, find employment, and live a better life. It is more of a way of thinking that manifests itself into a way of life. Find what interests you, set some goals, and continue to seek out new information and understanding until you get where you want.

Setting Goals and the Steps to Get There

Achieving goals is important part of one's career and keeps us moving forward in new directions. Those who set goals have a higher chance of being more successful than others who might muddle through life aimlessly. Setting appropriate goals and ensure that these goals are achievable requires a little planning and reflection to get where you want to go.

Clearly Defined: 

Goals should be specific and obtainable. People sometimes make goals that are broad, murky, or ill defined. It is hard for them to know whether or not they achieved a particular goal if there is no easy start or stop position. A clearly defined goal might be "complete a training class on basic accounting in the next 6 months" while an ill defined goal would look more like "understand more about accounting".

In the first example you know exactly when you achieved that goal while in the second case you will need to guess. Having a clearly defined goal will let you know when it is time to adjust that goal and move onto a new one. Each accomplished goal provides new experiences and opportunities for growth.

Plan of Action:

No goal will be achieved unless you put energy into it. The effort you put forward should not be haphazard and wasted. It is much better to focus on some specific plan of action. That plan can be broken into steps that help you get where you want to go.

Think of how graduating from a basic accounting class will need effort in enrollment, completing assignments, writing, etc... Knowing what will need to be accomplished on a daily basis will help in ensuring that you meet those goals. It may be as simple as spending an hour a day working on your project until it is completed or finding some other combination of effort.

Assess Your Progress:

It is beneficial every once in a while to assess your progress. Take a few moments to look at where you are and what additional effort or adjustments are needed to achieve that objective. Sometimes you will need to put additional effort in while at other times your current progress will be fine. Try and understand what is needed and when it is needed

Exchange Your New Year's Resolutions for Goals

New Years is the that special day where people boastfully pronounce their resolutions to any passerby who will listen. Like most New Year's resolutions they are short lived and die off in a few short weeks after pronouncement. This year, instead of making resolutions, look to bring in the new year with some well thought out goals. This will help you give your life a kick in the pants as you march down a brighter path.

Goals are different than resolutions. Resolutions usually seek to solve a problem and are not always well thought out. This is one reason why resolutions don't often have staying power. Goals are a commitment to achieve some objective and require greater thought and action to successfully achieve.

A popular New Year's resolution is to work out and get into shape. With no real plan in place you walk into your closest gym and sign up for that expensive gym membership that will continue to charge you even though you don't go anymore. You also buy yourself a new pair of running shoes, a great outfit and the latest book catering to some new diet fad. Your ready to go!

Within a few short weeks you abandon the gym and return back to your old habits because you didn't realize there was a lot of work involved in your broad resolution. At the end of it all you spent a lot of money, your enthusiasm quickly died and you eventually gave up. New Year's Resolution "get in shape" died quickly.

Setting a goal may help you more as you will be forced to think through not only the goal but how you manage to achieve it. It is beneficial to take time considering what is important to you and then break down the steps you will need to fulfill your goal. Make sure that your goals have some end point where new goals can be met. Your New Year's Resolution should move from "get in shape" to "lose five pounds" this year.

Steps to Setting Goals

Step 1: Set your goals based upon those things that are really important to you.

Step 2: Goals should have a clearly defined end point like five pounds, volunteer 30 hours, etc...

Step 3: Break your goals down into action steps that require smaller completable steps (i.e. read one health book a month or frequent the gym 30 minutes 3X a week).

Step 4: Assess your goal achievement a few times throughout the year to ensure that you are on track or need to adjust your effort to put yourself on track.

Step 5: Set new goals at the end of the year and celebrate whatever you did happen to accomplish last year.

Webinar: Strategies For Developing And Maintaining A Robust Student Ambassador Program

Date: Tuesday, September 9, 1:00-2:30 (Eastern)
Type: online webinar
Web Address: http://www.innovativeeducators.org/product_p/3215.htm

Info:
There is no doubt that colleges with strong student ambassador programs reap the benefits of increased enrollment, better retention, and strengthened community relationships. From showcasing the quality and diversity of their student population to having a highly trained student team available to assist with special events and outreach programs, it is clear that colleges can reap incredible benefits from well-managed student ambassador programs. An added benefit is for the student ambassador, as they gain valuable experience that makes them stand out to potential employers with their strong leadership, organizational, and supervisory skills.

This webinar will focus on the key factors in developing a structural plan to implement a student ambassador program. We will review critical elements of recruiting, training, and retaining ambassadors. Participants will also take a close look at what makes a program successful and ultimately, a highly valued college asset.

Goals:
- Learn the critical steps for implementing a successful student ambassador program
- Learn strategies for maintaining successful programs
- Acquire knowledge about win-win relationships between the college and the program
- Be able to enhance student ambassador programs already in existence