“I’m done learning!” When I heard this several years ago, I nearly gasped aloud. The person who said it was a successful salesman. He’d completed several of the most intricate land transactions I’d ever seen.
I asked him what he meant by being done learning. “I know everything I need to know about selling. All I have to do now is get the details, and I come up with the solution in a few minutes.”
Now, about 7 years later, that man isn’t as successful as he was when he made the “done learning” statement. In several ways, the world has passed him by. Right now, he’s trying to become computer literate. He has realized that if he wants to compete today with the young men and women in real estate, he has to use technology. He still doesn’t want to use a cell phone. He knows he should have a web page and e-mail for the convenience of his customers. However, it nearly causes him physical pain to put in the time to learn these new methods.
He knows now that he should have developed a plan for continuous learning and upgrading of his skills. If he had, he wouldn’t be so far behind today. He realizes that his drop in income relates directly to his failing to keep up with the changes we all face.
My friend isn’t alone. We all know someone like him. If you are older than 55, chances are high that you might be what the younger people call “techno-phobes.” However, it isn’t only technology that we need to keep up with. It is also the myriad of changes in every aspect of life.
We have a choice. We can broaden the scope of ways in which we keep in touch with the world around us. Or we risk becoming isolated and so specialized in our knowledge that we can only communicate with others in our field.
Many people argue that the age of the “universal person” is over. Actually, I’d argue that it is even more important now. To succeed, we must have as broad as possible exposure to as many areas as you can learn about. The world’s knowledge now doubles about every 5 years. Soon it will be every 3 years. That’s impressive. It’s also an opportunity to expand yourself.
The more input you have from many varied sources, the better your chance of recognizing patterns or gaps. This will allow you to capitalize on them by providing information or services concerning those patterns or gaps. Faith Popcorn and Gerald Celente both make large incomes while providing valuable services as futurists. They gather information from thousands of sources. They look for patterns. Then they think what those patterns imply. Their predictions on future trends are often very accurate.
Make a plan for yourself to become a futurist. Begin to gather information from wide and varied sources. “Read odd stuff. Talk to unusual people. Spend half of your time out of the office. And spend half of that time with whackos,” as Tom Peters, the innovation specialist, puts it. The idea is to get you to think and consider all the life that exists outside your normal experiences. Read magazines by people or groups you disagree with. I’ve found this to be a very good way for me to face my preconceptions, opinions, and biases about the groups involved.
There has never been so much information available to us. Take advantage of it through books, magazines, newspapers, and the internet. The more we learn, the more information and resources we have available to us to make informed decisions. It will also keep you out in front of nearly everyone else you know. Too many people become complacent and, at some point, feel they’ve “got it made.” At that moment they begin to fall behind. Remember the law of entropy. “That which does not grow, begins to die.”
By Timothy J. O’Brien, MS
- – -
Timothy J. O’Brien, M.S. is the Director of The Institute for Stress Management & Performance Improvement, in Tallahassee, Florida. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Stress and a Life Member of the International Society for Performance Improvement.
For 14 years, Tim wrote a column for Knight Ridder Tribune News Service and has published more than 400 print articles. He gives presentations on grief, compassion fatigue, stress management and performance improvement.
With a focus on business, Tim co-authored the 2010 Amazon.com #1 Bestseller in the Work-Life Balance category: If You Have Employees, You Really Need This Book.
He has also produced Achieving the Dynamic Balance, a systematic, action-oriented 2 CD audio program designed to help listeners regain control of their lives and improve their performance.
He has two Grief Support Programs, one for Human-loss and one for Pet-loss.
- – -
Want to use this article on your own site? Check out the Articles – Rules of Use page.
