“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”- Benjamin Franklin

Every single person has a yearning to be prosperous and find lasting happiness. As a young person, we ask ourselves questions throughout our journey to success and happiness.

• Who are we? Beyond being physical beings in a material world, we are all uniquely special spiritual beings, who are here for a reason.
• Why are we here? Beyond being here to survive, we are creators who are here to live, expand, and realize our full potential. Our hearts have the access to inner wisdom, the ability to dream (follow our hearts), and create a wonderful life.
• Where are we going? Beyond meeting our physical and material needs, each of us has something special to offer the world. We’re here with a higher purpose, to make a difference.

These inquiries, and many more similar questions, provide us with the motivation to learn and grow, but at some point in our busy lives, we become preoccupied; we stop asking these powerful questions and begin to live our lives on autopilot. The harsh truth is, when we stop asking these questions, we stop growing and we begin to die.

As conscious people, learning to Live Life on Purpose. We need to constantly develop ourselves intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. We grow and change physically as we develop from infancy to adulthood and old age. We grow and change emotionally with every experience, and we grow intellectually as we respond to events within the world around us.

Why is it important to always learn and mature as an individual? We’ve all made mistakes throughout our lives that haven’t precisely put us in the best light; perhaps mistreating a person in a past relationship or telling a little white lie to get out of trouble for a mistake made at work. Chances are, however, you have undoubtedly felt a small amount of guilt and grew because of these experiences.

Anything that you want to remain in your life, your money, your health, your relationship, your happiness, love, must be cultivated, developed, and expanded. Otherwise, it will degenerate. Some people satisfy the need to grow by working out physically or by reading books. Others need to study and learn constantly in order to feel as though they are truly growing.

Lifelong learning can be socially invigorating, and it can also improve memory and cognitive abilities. There are two main reasons for learning throughout life: for personal development and for professional development. These reasons may not necessarily be distinct as personal development can improve your employment opportunities and professional development can enable personal growth.

Your ability to expand your mind and strive for lifelong learning is critical to your success. By dedicating yourself to learning, you can get ahead in every aspect of your life. All it takes is a commitment. When you think about the things you do every day, you probably wouldn’t put, “learning new things” on the list. Living busy and hectic lifestyles makes it difficult to even think about learning new things and trying something new, but you could be missing out tremendously, both personally and professionally.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” ­­­­­­ – Henry Ford

Growth learning helps you expand your mind. You’re acquiring information that you didn’t have previously, and that enables you to do things that you could not have done prior. Some of the very best thinkers in the world today are producing some of the very best material and ideas that you can use for continuous education and mind expansion.

Learning widens your horizons, enhances your knowledge, keeps you up to date with the current world. Learning is essential to our existence. Just like food nourishes our bodies, information and continued learning nourishes our minds

An individual is not born lucky, but rather possesses the habit of personal development; continuously learning new skills to achieve the desired result in life. Truthfully, a person may not always achieve their vision in life, but he or she will experience a richer and more rewarding life when dedicated to regularly pursuing new goals and learning new skills. Making that commitment to personal development is the first step on the path towards personal fulfillment.

Growth is about making a personal investment in one’s self and improving his or her skill set in order to manage life effectively and provide value to the community. Personal development allows a person to be proactive. Setting goals that are time-sensitive causes a person to achieve their dreams in life. Luck happens when hard work meets opportunity. This is why it is so important to try new things and push yourself out of your comfort zone. The potential benefits are really huge and to be honest, there is nothing to lose. So, you should start today and learn something new!

The goal of personal growth is to find balance between living your life and learning new skills and tools to be your best self. Learning helps you expand your mind, and as you begin to acquire information that you did not have before, you can begin to do things that you could not have done before. Knowledge is the primary source of value in our world today, and your ability to expand your mind and devote yourself to lifelong learning is the key to breaking any success barriers.

Ways to Practice a Growth Mindset

1. Listen to audio. Many of us have a favorite radio station and enjoy listening to music. Try adding just 30 minutes of educational audio a day to leave you feeling strong and inspired.
2. Read books. In this day and age of modern technology, it may seem like books have become lost or forgotten. “The Alchemist” by Pablo Coelho and “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman are books that share journeys of personal development through fictional stories and are available in audio formats as well.
3. Find a mentor. Look for someone who inspires you and is already where you want to be in life. If you are able to, don’t be afraid to talk with them, share your aspirations, and even ask them questions.
4. Notice behavior patterns. We are all creatures of habit. Some of these habits are helpful and others are not. It’s good to be aware of your habits, so that you can actively weaken the ones you don’t want and strengthen the ones you do want.
5. Keep track of your self-reflection. Start a journal where you record your observations and monitor your personal growth. This will help you when looking back at your year to remind yourself of where you’ve been and where you want to go.
6. Get out of your comfort zone. Resting on your laurels means that you will not grow. Get out of your comfort zone, put yourself out there, take risks and aim to do something different, such as learning a new skill or hobby.
7. Create a plan and a list of goals. Where do you see yourself in 1/2/3/5/8/10 years’ time? If you know your ambitions, write them down so that you have a clear view of the goals you would like to achieve.
8. Learn new skills. Learning doesn’t end when you finish school. Learning is a lifelong journey. Take up a new hobby, whether it’s crafting, designing, coding, painting, learning to play a musical instrument, or taking up a new sport. Adding more strings to your bow is quite impressive, and it shows that you are a well-rounded person.