If You Are Not Learning...then You Are Not Living

Sanjeev.Himachali
Learning is a continuous process... Are you Learning?

Most of you will agree with me if I say, "Learning is a Continuous Process," but most of you will come forward to chop my head off if I say that, "Many of us don't learn." Well, that is the truth. According to a survey conducted by Virgin Management Consultancy, 83% of people stop learning after acquiring Post Graduation or any Degree higher than that, and 91.5% of people stop learning after gaining five years of work experience. (Sample size: 53,672 people. This survey was conducted in Seven Major Cities in India, Asian Countries, USA, UK, Germany, and Australia).

For the purpose of this article, we need to redefine the term "Learning." Reading Newspapers, Magazines, Listening to News, and Acquiring Degrees are not learning. So, what does learning consist of:

- Application of theory
- Application of reading
- Maturity in thinking and decision-making
- Learning from Mistakes (Not Repeating the Mistakes)
- Learning from experience (Others and Yours)

These things constitute learning. If you are doing any of these things, then you are called a "Learned Person."

No age, no experience, no designation is big enough to stop you from learning. One is expected to learn not only every day but every moment of each day. The day you stop learning is the day you stop living. You can learn from your past experiences, from people around you, from nature, from all the small things that happen around you. Your learning shows in your behavior, your thinking, your reaction to a particular situation, and the way you treat your fellow human beings.

Just see if you are still learning or you have stopped learning? Are you learning?

Share your views and experiences.

Explanation:

We all know that there is a difference between hearing, listening, and implementing. In the same manner, there is a difference between listening/watching/reading, learning, and implementing that knowledge that you have listened to or have seen or read. Learning is nothing but implementing the knowledge that you have acquired through numerous ways. I was feeling a bit bored, so I read some magazine or newspaper; that is not learning because whatever I read is of no use to me and will not help me in any manner in my professional or personal life. Late at night, I just thought of watching TV; that also has nothing to do with learning. I watched TV to entertain myself or just to kill my time. That is also not learning. "Learning is always a conscious effort. It needs to be planned."

Regards,

Sanjeev Sharma

(BLOG: http://sanjeevhimachali.blogspot.com/ or)
sundarjayram
Hi Sanjeev,

Let me first assure you that I will not chop your head. I fully agree with what you said. You are bang on target when you said that most people do not learn after some point. In fact, the desire to learn is a quality that separates an average performer from an extraordinary performer. Learning from mistakes (both yours and others') is vital. In fact, "IF YOU WANT TO DOUBLE YOUR SUCCESS RATE, THEN DOUBLE YOUR FAILURE RATE."

Regards,
Sundar Jayram.
gunchu_shahi
It was a fantastic article. Gets your thinking very clear. I hope everyone who comes across this article should stop and analyze the hidden messages to redefine your career goals to "Constant learning" rather than "climbing the corporate ladder."

Cheers
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