Learning and Becoming

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"We earn at the level of our learning." So it's been said. Who am I to argue? I'm still learning. And I am learning that LEARNING is the major currency in life.  I'm not talking, necessarily, about formal education here. That gives us a living, for sure....but self education is what makes us a fortune. So said the late great business philosopher, Jim Rohn.

Ever wondered why so many people want to earn big, to become famous, to get rich early on in the process? Unfortunately, sometimes they do, and the journey to the bottom usually comes as quickly as did the journey to the top. Too few understand the value of learning. Too few take the lessons of the past and invest them into the future. Too few are deliberate about pursuing a course of study, on their way to mastery.Indeed, too few seek wisdom and knowledge....and far too many get lost in the glamour of the end-game, oblivious of the learning journey that ought to lead there.

The truth is, in  this our achievement-oriented existence, most of us spend our time focusing on the goals we set ourselves. But it is often said that 'what we get by achieving our goals is far less important than what we become by achieving our goals" Indeed, the value is in the becoming...the learning, the change we experience in response to our changing circumstances. When we begin to savor that learning process is when we strike gold. 

Let me here underscore the importance of setting goals - short term goals as well as long term goals. These are what give us something to go after, something to work towards...and they are crucial. While we pursue that (seemingly elusive) balance in our lives, we must learn to set ourselves some  financial goals, and some career goals, some relationship goals, some health goals, some reading goals and yes...some spirituality goals. Go ahead. But keep in mind that the lessons that you will learn from the bumps along the way, the monumental fails, the missed shots are really where the money is. Keep your eye on the prize.....who you are becoming!

So learn to value learning and becoming. Intellectual learning is good and necessary for your success but the wisdom that comes from a life of learning from your experiences and those of others cannot be over-emphasized. And let's not be fooled into believing the straight line theory, or worse yet, don't believe that the learning will take the shape of a curve. It's gonna be squiggly and erratic, spasmodic and inconsistent. But go after the learnings anyway. Only, understand that who you are becoming will forever be more important than what you are achieving. Now, who are you becoming? 

What problem are You solving?

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One of the best ways to be effective in accomplishing our greatest desires in life is to ask ourselves the very potent question, "What problem am I solving?" It's a question that all new entrepreneurs are advised to answer before taking the plunge into launching a venture. But it is a also question that we need to ask ourselves as we approach each new project, large or small. It's a question we should ask of ourselves everyday if we hope to remain relevant and innovative. It is a critical question. It very frequently spells the difference between success and failure in a new venture. It's pretty much the same thing as it relates to the broader picture - life itself.

Am I making a mountain out of a mole-hill here? Is this much ado about nothing? Hardly! The fact is...the quality of the rewards life throws at us will depend largely on the the kinds of problems we solve for others.  And note well - it's the problems we solve for others (not ourselves) that make the difference. It is only as we extend ourselves beyond our own immediate problems, needs, insufficiencies and seek to provide solutions for the bigger issues that surround us that we begin to impact our world and find our own place in the stars.

So how about us changing our focus from "what problems am I facing?" to "what problems am I solving?" and "for whom am I solving them?" Greatness, by God's design and definition, is achieved only in relation to our willingness to serve others. Master motivator, Zig Ziglar is known to have said "You can have everything in life you want if you just help enough other people get what they want." Seems a paradox, but it's true. It is as we give time to finding solutions that other people value that we experience our greatest levels of effectiveness. Tried and proven! Entrepreneurs know that if a product or service doesn't solve a problem, fill a gap or soothe a pain then its chances of doing well in the market is next to none. In the same way, if our lives amount to little more than a self-serving, unintentional, unfocused existence we can expect to remain and/or become unfulfilled promises to mankind.

 So my challenge to all of us today is this.....find a problem to solve; one significant enough to interest enough people in order to sustain it's impact.....And I'm not asking that we  look outside of our strengths, talents and gifts. I'm asking that we  find and harness those talents. If you're a good cook, find a cause that needs your abilities. If you're an artist, know that there are people looking for your creativity. Understand the value of voluntarism to  your growth. You'll likely need to do that, at least initially, to establish a presence in the market place. Go out and solve some problems for the world around you. You'll be surprised at how many of yours get solved in the process.