Have you gotten complacent with what you know or what you feel you’ve learned and achieved. That was me a few years ago as a husband, a father and a dedicated community leader in a charity organization.
Sure, be happy and by all means be grateful, but stay on your toes and keep learning. It’s actually a lot of fun and it saves a lot of trouble and heartache.
In this Video:
00:38 – My Coach’s Advice on Knowing What to Do About What I Don’t Know
01:00 – 4 Stages of Competence (or Incompetence)
02:20 – Do You Need 10,000 Hours or Only 20 Hours?
03:34 – A Millionaire’s Mindset, Budget for It
03:48 – Quote from Gandhi
04:15 – Affirmation to Help You Move Forward
Listen To The Audio:
Watch The Video
Transcription:
Did you attend university and figure that you got all that you needed and now you’re just locked into you job career and don’t have anything to learn?
Do you feel like you’ve been doing something a long time and you feel like you already know everything about it, so, “What is there to learn? Who can teach me something new?”
I’m guessing that you’re not that kind of a person and I think you are here, because you are a lifelong learner.
So, here I have three tips about learning, which I think you will really appreciate. Even if you’ve heard them before, it’s a great review.
I hope you get something new today.
[callout]Update: Have you checked out my book? I just released “So? Start Over!: Experience Clarity, Do What Matters, Live Your Dream” which includes worksheets, cheatsheets, and bonus material. Click here to check it out![/callout]1. Knowing What To Do About What You Don’t Know
I was talking with my coach last week, I wrote her and said, “I tend to feel that I could do things a lot better. At this point I’m looking at my need to delegate, but…”
I then explained my problems and what my difficulty was with the topic. I felt like I was really getting it.
Then she said, “Wait a minute. That’s okay. There are different stages of learning also known as consciousness and competence, and your awareness of your learning.
[shareable cite=”Eric Hoffer” text=”In times of change learners inherit the earth. – Eric Hoffer #quote”]In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.[/shareable]Here they are. There are four stages that we go through.
4 Stages of Competence
- Unconscious Incompetence – Initially we are unconscious of the learning needed, we are unaware and we have zero competence, so we are unconsciously incompetent. Now, think about it as a ladder and you go up to the next step.
- Conscious Incompetence – Suddenly you are conscious about it. You are aware that you need to change something. You need to learn something, but you are incompetent. You just don’t know what to do or how to do it.
- Conscious Competency – Now on the third level you get to what is known as conscious competency. You are aware of what you’re learning and your getting good at it. You’re learning more and you are doing well. You’ve learned pretty much everything that you need to learn.
- Unconscious Competency – Then the last level of learning is unconscious competency. That’s like driving. You do something that you’ve done so many times, you don’t have to actually consciously think about it. You’re really good at it and you can keep doing it. That skill can last a while, but sometimes it can tend to decay, if we don’t come back and keep refining it and learning more about it.
(Source: Gordon Training)
Remember this, if you are ever discouraged at any level of learning, or when you feel that you have so much further to go, or that you just don’t have what you need, the skills that you need. It is possible. You are going to get there.
Just remember you are at one of those stages. Keep going for it.
2. Do You Need 10,000 Hours or Only 20 Hours?
This something that I really want you to think about.
You’ve probably heard about the 10,000 hour idea that’s out there. It was Malcolm Gladwell who quoted a study that talked about many of the great achievers and highly successful people.
They discovered that they had about 10,000 hours of experiences in whatever it was they were good at.
There were The Beatles and a few other famous people, I don’t remember all the details at this point. (Read Outliers)
Well, someone recently challenged that, because what happened is we’ve all heard that and we think, “God, it’s gonna take me 10,000 hours to learn anything. I’m never gonna be good at it.”
[shareable cite=”Abe”]Often, we don’t even start learning, because we don’t feel that we have the time to invest.[/shareable]How about this, twenty hours. Yep, it’s possible.
I think it was Josh Kaufman who wrote the book, The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything…Fast.
It is possible to learn something in twenty hours, be good enough to know it, and use it.
You may not be at unconscious competence but you’re going to know it. (Read The First 20 Hours)
So, the next time you’re hesitant, when you’re going in to learn something, sign up for a course, whatever it is, just go for it. If you really want it, if it’s really going to help you in your life, or in your business, just get there and do it.
Don’t be afraid of the time that it’s going to take, because it may take less time than you think.
Now here’s the last little tip. I got this one from Harv Eker and it’s really simple.
3. A Millionaire’s Mindset, Budget To Learn
Put emphasis on your learning. Take part of your budget and set aside money every month for learning. You may not necessarily spend it that month. Maybe you’re saving up for a bigger course or even of some sort.
Continually put some money, five percent, tent percent, into your learning. Pay for that learning, because you really need it. Your future depends on it. (Read Secrets of the Millionaire Mind)
[shareable cite=”Mahatma Gandhi”]Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. #quote [/shareable] [shareable cite=”Abe Stone”]I CHOOSE to move forward every day, growing and learning as I go! #affirmation[/shareable]