Hey – Walker and Davis here.
Happy Saturday morning to the Laying Foundations community!
When you finished your schooling, did you decide your learning would end there, or did you continue your learning even after school?
Today’s issue takes about 5 minutes to read and was written for you by Walker Lott.
Enjoy.
Quote Of The Week
What does it mean to be a lifelong learner?
Being a lifelong learner means even when you are finished with school (elementary, high school, college, trade, etc.), your learning does not stop, and as the quote above states, it actually begins.
This may not mean much to some who are reading this, but for others, this is how they choose to live their life every day. Personally, I love being a lifelong learner because learning something new every day is fun and exciting.
This is easy for me to say, but for those who are trying to become better at learning, what are some steps you can take to become a lifelong learner?
Step 1: Always Ask Questions
Asking questions is one of the backbones of Laying Foundations. In fact, listening, learning, and leading with questions are mentioned almost every podcast.
It’s easy to say, “ask more questions,” but for those who don’t do that every day, how can you improve?
I believe asking questions is a skill you will only improve by practicing. Like lifting weights to grow your muscles, asking questions grows your question muscles.
When you first meet someone, get to know them, and ask where they are from. Ask if they have a wife and kids, what their name is, what they enjoy doing, what is their day job, etc.
Over time, you will begin to get better at asking questions and can make your questions more tailored to the person and the situation but for now, to be successful, you just need to start.
Step 2: Read, Read, Read
I know you thought your reading days were over when you got out of school, but if you truly want to be a lifelong learner, you should be reading something every day.
Books are truly amazing; they contain the thoughts of millions of successful men and women, they can teach you how to build a rocket or start a business, and they force you to think critically and challenge your beliefs each time you turn a new page.
Some of the most successful people in the world, like John Maxwell, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, and many more, spend a great deal of time reading each day.
So, reading must be a daily habit if you want to be a lifelong learner.
Step 3: Try New Things
Learning doesn’t come easy all the time. Sitting at home reading a book or talking to someone on the job site is necessary and needed, but also getting out there and physically trying something is one of the best ways to learn continually.
You should challenge yourself daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.
Do you hate public speaking? Stand up and lead the morning huddles until you are comfortable talking in front of many people. Hate heights? Take up rock climbing and learn how to face your fear. Uncomfortable estimating specific scopes of work? Ask for more projects with that scope and get good and what you don’t like.
Trying new things forces you to learn new things.
Get outside your comfort zone and learn to do something new daily.
Quality of the Week: Curiosity – Wanting to know the “why” behind something
20 Year Old Self Advice: Find someone who is where you want to be in 10 years and seek them for advice
Believe it or not, I didn’t always want to be a lifelong learner. In high school, I was content only to learn things I was comfortable with or forced to learn in class. It wasn’t until college that I wanted to learn new things outside the classroom.
Once I realized I could learn anything, especially with the resources available in today’s age, I began soaking in podcasts, and books, asking questions to those around me, and becoming comfortable with doing things I didn’t know how to do.
Then, fast forward to when I started work, I met an engineer who was also a recent college graduate in my office. So, after getting to know him, I began asking more questions about his goals. One of his answers to my question stunned me.
I asked him, since he was an engineer if he is going to get his PE (Professional Engineer) license and his response was “no.” Frankly, I don’t care if you get your PE, but his reasoning for not getting it was, “I just graduated from college, and I never want to study ever again.”
Personally, I think that it is lazy and a waste of God-given talent if the only thing keeping you from accomplishing something is you “don’t want to study.” Still, that conversation made me realize that some people are content with staying where they are. I never want to be stagnant; my goal is to learn something new daily.
So, ask yourself this question, “do I want to be a lifelong learner, or am I content watching Netflix every evening instead of learning something new?
Check out episode 101 on The Laying Foundations Podcast
Join the conversation with co-hosts Walker Lott & Davis Hambrick as they discuss what it takes to be a leader in the construction industry. Real leaders understand how to be vulnerable and humble and elevate the people around them.
