The Benefits of Being a Life Long Learner

ByKim Anderson
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I also earn from qualifying purchases made with other brands and programs. See my privacy policy.

Amazon Affilate
If you were a fly on the wall in my house, at first you might think, “This chick needs a maid.”  But once you got over that, you would probably find me folding the massive piles of laundry on my bed with one ear bud from my wireless headset in at all times.

You might assume that I’m listening to top 40 music or an audio book, but in fact I’m listening to podcasts.  I have to say that I don’t know many stay at home or working women who listen to podcasts regularly and if they do, they probably don’t realize that is what they are doing.  If you have a favorite minister and you know they are on iTunes and you listen to them- it’s probably a podcast.  But beyond faith based Podcasts, I listen to a lot of other stuff too.  Here’s my list of favorites that I literally don’t miss.

  • This is Your Life with Michael Hyatt
  • The Portfolio Life with Jeff Goins
  • Build Your Tribe with Chalene Johnson
  • The Chalene Show with Chalene Johnson
  • The Smart Passive Income Podcast with Pat Flynn

Why?  Because I’m addicted to learning.  I loved school. I’m not gonna say that I loved math or AP Chemistry, but I love learning stuff that gives me tools I can use in my life and business.  When I apply the things I’m learning in the podcasts to my life, I find that my personal confidence and sanity improve and my business grows.  I can survive chores and laundry as long as my mind is working on some other greater project and absorbing valuable information in the midst of my day to day, “have to” activities.

I’m revealing all this today because I think that one of the keys to being a successful homeschool mom, leader, teacher, parent, professional, wife/husband and everything else in life has a lot to do with how teachable we are.  Are we willing to learn from someone who knows what they are talking about and then take action?  It really applies to most areas of life and I didn’t really realize that until I recently read a book titled, The Key To Everything: Unlocking the Secret to Why Some People Succeed and Others Don’t by Matt Keller.

A few weeks ago I was selected to participate in the launch team for The Key to Everything.  Lately I’ve been traveling a lot and each time I headed out the door with my bags, I grabbed the book off my nightstand and threw it into my travel tote.  When I began reading this book I had no idea that it would hit the nail on the head of many of my own personal life struggles and explain to me how those struggles are in turn keeping me from the success I want in my life.  And when I say success I don’t just mean with my writing and speaking.  I’m talking about with my health, with my parenting and even with my marriage.

So here’s are three simple things that I’ve walked away from this book with that I think might help encourage you too!

      1. Recognizing that the Fear of Change Holds Us Back

Right now in my own life I’m working to make some major changes in my health and my future dreams and goals.  One of the chapters I read last night pointed out that I’m limiting myself when I let the fear of change and the unknown stand in my way.  I’m just not much of a risk taker.  When I get comfortable in my workout routine, I’m happy.  When I get comfortable in bad eating habits, I just don’t want to change them.  When I get comfortable with my blog post writing, writing a book for traditional publication scares the heck out of me.  What about you?  What kinds of change do you fear tackling and how is it holding you back from moving forward toward your goals?

One of the readers in this community is making a huge change to improve her future.  She and her family are moving out of their house and into an RV for 2 years to pay off every last debt they have.  I’m sure she experiences a lot of fear when it comes to changing what is comfortable.  But she knows that if she will push past the fear, live more simply for a few years, she’ll ultimately get the life she’s wanting while learning a WHOLE lot of life lessons along the way.  What are your fears when it comes to change?

      2.  Fight “The Imposter Syndrome” Everyday

Right now I’m working to create a book that I’m hoping a major publisher will want to print.  All I have to do is write it and hand it back to my literary agent.  But the fact is that every time I sit down to write  words that  I hope will change people’s lives, insecurity creeps up and when it does I just want to stop typing and go watch Netflix or make coffee.  The Imposter Syndrome is phrase that represents a way that some people feel about themselves.  As if that thing they are doing, they are not really qualified to do.  More so, someone else will figure that out about them and the gig will be up.  It will be over.

Do you experience this too?  It’s hit me the first day of every job and the first day of every promotion I’ve ever had.

It hit me the day that I brought my son home from the hospital.

It pretty much hits anytime I set out to do something bigger, better or greater with my life.  But the key is to push past that feeling and just do it.  I believe the phrase, “fake it til you make it” is typically what I whisper to myself.  One day, we are going to make it, as long as we stop letting our heads get in the way of our dreams.

3. Look for ways to learn.

We are living in an amazing time in history.  As a kid I remember that if I wanted to know about something, I went to my parent’s encyclopedia set.  30 brown books held all the information that was available to me without going to a library and searching through drawers of cards with numbers typed with a type writer.  That sounds ridiculous now doesn’t it?  ANYTHING you want to know about ANYTHING is available on your phone in your back pocket 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year!!!  And most of it, is free.  So if there is something in your life you want to do better, be better at or learn about, simply go looking.  Find a video or a picture tutorial.  Buy an Ebook or email someone.  Listen to podcasts and teachings.

I’m a stay at home momprenuer.  A good bit of what I have learned about parenting, marriage and business has been learned sitting on my couch with an Ebook, a video or a laptop.  Embrace teachability, apply what you learn and prepare to do great things each day!

As I looked back through this book, I was surprised to see that I had found something to highlight or underline on almost every page.  That means it’s got a lot of meat.  It’s a book that hit a nerve or two in my life and I’m hoping to make some big changes in the next year embracing teachability.

If you are looking for a book that may help you get over whatever things are setting you back in life, consider getting your copy of The Key to Everything: Unlocking the Secret to Why Some People Succeed and Others Don’t.