What Have YOU Learned Lately?

If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where
we are headed.
~ Chinese Proverb
************

We all have ability. The difference is how we use it. ~ Stevie
Wonder
****************

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already
mastered, you will never grow. ~ Ronald E. Osborn
**********************


What Have You Learned Lately?

By Barbara Winter

Every time I left my house, I used to see a poster near my front
door that read, "It's not where you're going...it's where you're
coming from." While that might sound like a bit of leftover
jargon from the sixties, it also bears a truth that touches us
all. Any project, any goal, any relationship with which we're
involved is colored by what we bring to it.

For a long time, I've had a strong predilection for being around
people who are positive, enthusiastic and creative. Somewhere
along the way, I realized that those nurturing kinds of people
would probably not show up in my life unless I was one myself.
And so my personal quest began to become the person I wanted to
hang out with. The quest isn't over yet, but the things I've
learned have been amazing. For example, how do ordinary people
become life's big winners?

One of the most interesting answers to that question came from
author Robert G. Allen in his book, "Creating Wealth." "The will
to prepare to win is more important than the will to win.
Preparing usually means doing those kinds of things that
failures don't like to do. It means studying and learning. It
means reading books, going to seminars. It means not being
afraid to corner experts and ask foolish questions."

Sometimes finding the time - or motivation - to keep learning
seems to be a huge challenge. As busy adults, we may have
forgotten to make Lifelong Learning a high priority. Or maybe we
never had the benefit of a teacher like Rafe Esquith who helped
us discover early on the joy of learning. I recently read his
book

"Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire" and was wildly inspired by his
story and the academic and creative wonders he consistently
turns out. Esquith teaches fifth grade in Los Angeles. Most of
his students come from immigrant homes where English is the
second language. Nevertheless, in addition to performing well
academically, all Esquith's students learn to play a musical
instrument and their annual Shakespearean performances have
received national attention. What Esquith - and all great
teachers - demonstrate is that the potential to soar resides
within all of us, but it needs to be coaxed and nurtured.
Happily, putting yourself in a roomful of others who are on the
same journey can accelerate that process.

Brian Tracy, one of the leading authorities on personal
achievement, makes this observation: "Increasing your knowledge
and skills is like using high-octane fuel in your engine on your
way to your destination...Unfortunately, for most people, their
earning ability is a fixed, or even worse, depreciating asset.
Because of this, most people just have a 'job' which stands for
'just over broke.'"

So it's probably no coincidence that the people who are the most
Joyfully Jobless just happen to be Lifelong Learners as well.
One of those folks was a woman named Donnie, but she didn't
start out with entrepreneurial ambition. Donnie Nair was a
successful real estate salesperson who came to her success after
being a housewife, mother and civil servant. Of those earlier
years she said, "I was absolutely happy and had no ambition
whatsoever."

So what unleashed this super saleswoman who continuously broke
sales records? Donnie said it sneaked up on her when she was
sitting in a Tom Hopkins Sales Seminar one day. "It was like a
light went off in my head. I just knew he was talking about me.
Success really was available to anyone who wanted it." Her
business took off like a rocket. "It didn't matter what goals I
set for myself," she recalls. "I always surpassed them."

What set Donnie Nair apart from those who are less successful
was her continuing effort to grow and learn. One evening she
called me as she was driving to a class. I asked her what she
was studying now and she said, "It might sound silly, but I've
always wanted to learn how to sing so I'm in a class for
beginners who can't carry a tune in a bucket."

Socrates said, "Let him who would move the world, first move
himself." With all the resources - the books, the seminars, the
insights of others - available for a pittance, it makes no sense
to skip the critical preparation stage. Because, in the final
analysis, winning isn't about what you have or even what you do.

Winning is about becoming the person you were meant to become,
no matter how long and difficult that journey may be. So study
and learn all you can. Take advantage of every resource you can
find. You never know what might happen if you do. Like Donnie
Nair, you could find yourself sitting in a roomful of strangers
and suddenly meet yourself.


About the Author

Barbara J. Winter is a Las Vegas-based writer, speaker and
enthusiastic fan of Changing Course. In addition to conducting
seminars for the Joyfully Jobless, she also publishes the
Winning Ways newsletter. Barbara is currently at work on a
collection of stories from people who have made the transition
from employee to entrepreneur. She'll be joining Valerie in
Northampton, MA on April 11-12 for the annual Work at What You
Love workshop (http://ChangingCourse.com/workshop.htm). Visit
Barbara online at http://BarbaraWinter.com