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.

How To Write for an Academic Journal

Having a paper accepted for publication in an academic journal is an exciting event that comes with a personal sense of achievement. Not only does it validate an academic’s knowledge but it is also a source of industry exposure. Writing in a journal is not impossible but does take preparation like other types of writing. Those who publish in journals not only offer a sense of expertise but also a level of academic writing skill.

Writing at a level that will be published by a peer-reviewed journal requires a significant investment of time. It will take at least a month to write a solid piece of academic literature. The quality must be near perfect depending on the genre of the journal. The topic should contribute a unique perspective or piece of knowledge to a wider body of literature to create relevancy.

(Step 1) Pick Your Topic 

Having some sense of your topic before writing will make a huge difference in the amount of effort and time it takes to complete your work. Some journals will require you to have a broader “how to” approach for industry readers but most will require you to be very narrow in your focus. 

One of the best ways to find your writing focus is to spend time reading on a particular topic that interests you. Find a general interest and start reading until you come across something that you wouldn’t mind learning about yourself. Uniqueness improves your chance of getting your work published while interest will help ensure that you have enough motivation to complete your topic. 

(Step 2)  Find The Journal Genre  

One you have your topic you should start looking at the type of journals that publish works in that genre. Seek open access journals and peer-reviewed journals from your academic library. Read articles that are printed in the journal to discovered insight into what the journal is seeking. Review their paper submission requirements to better align your writing. 

(Step 3) Build an Outline

 Each paper should have an abstract, introduction, body, and conclusion. Building an outline helps solidifying you’re thinking by better managing how information connects together to create a final product. It will also ensure that you are actively seeking information that will benefit your paper without wasting time on dead ends. 

(Step 4) Start Researching

Try and find information that fits under the topical headings within your outline. This will help ensure that you’re not wasting time browsing information that isn’t relevant for your work. Look at libraries, Google Scholar, and even news articles when they are relevant. Try and seek a citation for every couple of paragraphs. Peer-reviewed articles are typically the best and are more scholarly in orientation. 

(Step 5) Start Writing

Writing is an art form and a science. It is important to use an active voice and ensure that you are discussing concepts concisely. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting, and sentence structure should be strong. When you have your draft you may want to share it with others and ask them to help you proofread. A few obvious mistakes will raise the chances your journal submission is rejected. 

(Step 6) Submission

 The type of journal you are submitting your work will have a definitely impact on the quality and time-frame of publication. Peer-reviewed scholarly journals that have a strong reputation in the market are the best for raising credibility. They will not ask you to pay for anything but are exclusive and difficult to be approved. As a beginning writer you can also consider less than premium journals to practice your skills and obtain a few notches under your belt before going after prestige. The choice is yours.

Book Review: Business Strategy by Jeremy Kourdi

The book Business Strategy-A Guide to Taking Your Business Forward by Jeremy Kourdi offers insight into understanding, developing and implementing strategy.  Each of these aspects is important for overcoming market difficulties that challenge and create difficulties for businesses. It is the ability of leaders to develop strategy and then implement that strategy in ways that are more likely to raise the success of an organization. 

The author provides a definition of strategy as it, “…is the plans, choices and decisions used to guide a company to greater profitability and success”. Strong strategies create higher levels of outputs while poor strategies often fail in their ability to meet defined goals. Such strategies should be well thought out and the alternatives should be weighed.

Henri Fayol, who established the classical school of management around 1910, developed some general management activities that fit within five sections: planning, organizing, commanding, co-coordinating and controlling:

-Planning: Understanding the organization and developing plans of action that leads to a stronger future.

-Organizing: Organizing includes the pulling together of resources to make the plan successful. 

-Commanding: Commanding can be seen as leading people through giving them appropriate direction to make the plan work. Leaders can make things happen.

-Coordinating: Coordinating involves ensuring that all people efforts, factors, and resources are put together in the most beneficial manner. 

-Controlling: Controlling entails ensuring that the process is moving along properly and is adjusted when necessary. It is possible to use feedback mechanisms, re-evaluation of strategy and other aspects in this area.

The book also discusses strategic innovation. According to the Talent foundation there are five catalysts for strategic innovation that include the following:

-Consciousness: Everyone knows the strategy and believes they can follow it. 

-Multiplicity: Groups have a wide varied of skills, backgrounds, experiences, and ideas.

-Connectivity: People have positive trusting relationships with each other. 

-Accessibility: People have access to each other and the resources they need to make their parts successful.

-Consistency:  There is a strong commitment to innovation regardless of the situation.

The book not only provides strong consideration of strategy and innovation but also provides a number of case examples for readers visualize this information. Business students and managers would find the book beneficial for their understanding. It can be a touch dry in its reading but that is what business books are by their nature. The author provides a number of references for those who are interested in additional information. 

Kourdi, J. (2009). Business strategy-a guide to taking your business forward. London, UK: Profile Books LTD. ISBN: 978 1 84668 124 0

Price: $22.00

Pages: 233

You purchase the book HERE