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?