I love learning. That hasn’t always been the case but over my career I’ve discovered a love of learning. Not because I can make more money with my newfound knowledge but just because it’s newfound knowledge. So many people are going back to school in the hope that getting a new degree, or perhaps just finishing the one they started years ago, will bring them success in the job market. That’s not necessarily a bad thing and I hope it works out for them. I plan to begin work on my Ph.D. next year (I still need to take the GMAT; taking tests is something I definitely do not love) but not because I think it will get me a better job. That shiny new doctorate will look good hanging on my wall but I don’t have any serious expectations of more money. I want to get it just because I can.

One of my mantras is “Learn something new every day”. So I’m not suggesting everyone needs to take a course at their local college or go back to school for a new degree.  Knowledge is all around us if we’re only willing to look. We may not even need to look. This morning I stepped on a book which I had carelessly left next to my bed. The lesson: put it back on the nightstand. And since the ultimate goal of learning is change (supporting it, fostering it, creating it) by changing where I put my books I have accomplished learning (my wife has been trying to teach me similar lessons for 24 years). The essential point is that learning is an attitude, a set of behaviors that allow us to keep up with the pace of our rapidly changing world. Most people want to turn who they are today into what they want to be tomorrow and learning is the catalyst.  Learning and change are not independent of one another. Change requires learning and, conversely, no learning takes place in the absence of change.

So what are some of the key behaviors or characteristics of those with a learning mindset?

They’re curious. Curiosity may have killed the cat but a lack of it will kill people intellectually. Start with “Why?”  Inquiring minds want to know and “Why?” is a good place to start. There are also such curiosity-laden words as “what?”, “who?”, “when?”, “where?”, and “how?” but “why?” is the spark that ignites curiosity and sparks the desire to learn. Why? Because they can. Like muscles, the brain atrophies over time and needs to be worked out in order to stay fit. Curiosity drives learners into the mental gymnasium and keeps them sharp.

They aren’t know-it-alls. Many people I’ve met want to be the smartest person in the room and that’s okay. I know I’m not and even if I find that I am I don’t want to act like it. I always have something to learn. In fact, I consider any class I teach less than successful if I don’t learn something as well. And since I don’t like to fail I make sure I learn something. Even failure is learning and know-it-alls don’t learn from their mistakes. Acknowledging that you still have something to learn is a sign that you’re changing and growing both personally and professionally.

They network. Making connections is a great way to get exposure to new information and new points of view. Networkers understand the value that their connections add to the learning experience and take every opportunity to add to this vast pool of resources.

They connect the dots. Think of this as a SWOT analysis. Learners are always thinking about think about their skills, knowledge, and abilities and how these relate the events and situations that occur in other parts of their life. Learning and change are indispensable to one another and the ability to connect life’s dots allows learners to make meaningful connections between the “why”, “what?”, “who?”, “when?”, “where?”, and “how?”

They love to teach others. Albert Einstein once said “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” One cannot teach what they don’t know and teaching others develops an understanding of a subject like nothing else can. That’s why learners are also teachers. They love to test their mastery of the material not by taking tests but by seeing the “lights come on” in their students.

Some of the smartest people I’ve known had very little of what we would call a “formal” education. “Book” learning and college degrees are nice to have but they’re not the only path that lifelong learners can take. Remember, when it comes to learning, the journey is more important than the destination. Whatever your destination happens to be, the trip will be a lot more exciting if you’re learning something along the way.

Stephen exercises his passion for learning as a Senior Training Specialist with Shermco Industries, Inc. in Irving, TX, where he specializes in electrical skills and safety training for utility, industrial, and commercial clients. He also teaches and coaches leadership and management. He can be reached at shester@shermco.com or smhester4160@gmail.com. These are his opinions alone.