If you want to be successful in business and in life today, ongoing learning isn’t an option. You’ve got to be flexible, open to change and new ideas. In fact, if you’re not continually learning, you’re missing out on a lot.

As a business owner, the challenges and benefits of continual learning are substantial. You probably already have more than enough to do, but gaining additional knowledge gives you a tremendous advantage, and is well worth the effort and time it takes. Continuing to learn not only keeps you mentally alert, but helps you more quickly solve problems, make better decisions and connect seemingly unrelated concepts to produce new solutions. Learning itself is a rewarding experience. Plus, it makes you a more interesting person.

Aim to cultivate curiosity—foster an inquiring attitude. Learn to ask insightful questions and be on the lookout for new possibilities.

Ways to boost your learning:

The Internet offers countless topics to study and ways to learn. You can also:

	Read or listen to books
	Attend workshops or seminars
	Enroll in courses on or off line
	Brainstorm a topic or a challenge you face with others
	Find a mentor or hire a coach
	Teach others or write about what you’re learning—this deepens your own understanding
	Learn more about your industry. Who is the expert in your field? How can you learn from him or her?

We can also learn from conversations with others and ourselves, and through failures—our own and others', and from experience (especially if we take time to reflect). Take a few minutes each evening to review your day—think about what happened and what you can learn from it.

Learning does take time, but you can use spare moments. For instance, when I’m driving, cleaning the house or cooking dinner, I listen to books on CD. Each year, I ‘read’ scores of books this way.

Decide what areas of knowledge and/or skill you want to focus on. Design your own learning program. Set clear, realistic goals about what you want to learn and the steps you’ll take to achieve them. Invest in yourself by actively pursuing knowledge. Don’t miss out—make ongoing learning a lifestyle.

About the Author: Victoria Munro is co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly® LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for small-business owners through creatively designed programs and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different businesses. To receive FREE business success articles with tips to help you with your business, sign up for their award-winning ezine, “In-Flight Refueling,” at: www.Make-it-Fly.com, and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics & Tips.

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