Lifelong Learning

Here's a model I developed whilst (a great word borrowed from my 12 year old British cousin) thinking about Lifelong Learning. For me there are three aspects:

New Research:
This involves reading books and magazines, web content (including blogs, wikipedia, articles, e-zines, videos, TED talks, StumbleUpon), and attending lectures and conferences.  All of these are new sources of knowledge. Focus on areas of interest, items that arise spontaneously or recommendations from peers, mentors and even "the crowd" (e.g. Amazon books).

New Experiences:
These result from your on-the-job activities. Try to direct your job/ career towards new and dynamic activities and opportunities where your likely to learn a lot from the task or the people you are working with. Volunteer for tasks and assignments at work and outside work (Charities have a lot to offer and need you: a real win-win).

New Reflections:
This is a critical aspect. No matter what you read or experience, you will have more difficulty retaining, recalling and using this new knowledge unless you take the time to reflect on what it means and how it might apply in related or even totally different situations. Thinking and more specifically thinking creatively about what you have just learned is invaluable. Discussing and debating your new knowledge and ideas with others is the best way I know to strengthen the learnings and prepare your mind for their later recall and use. Writing including notes, longer journals, mindmaps, diagrams and blogs whether or not anyone else reads them :)  are also good means to flush out ideas and aid in their internalization. Actually putting some of your resultant knowledge and ideas into action is the most desirable as it creates a new experience and builds on the whole learning process.

I plan to keep up my researching (which is not hard even my innate curiosity), seeking out and positioning myself for the best and most valuable new career experiences, and of course continuing to make time to reflect on these activities. Don't forget rereading and reviewing your own journals and writings is another way to reinvigorate the lifelong learning process. 

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