Continuous Learning

Knowledge is power and the result of education and training. Everything is going to be a function of your education, and your ability to apply this knowledge influences your earning power. Whether you’re on the job, or in a social environment, there’s always something new you can learn. You don’t know everything already, and every day you need to learn more. Failure to keep up with current business, social, and technological changes is directly linked to failure. The better-educated individual is the one who’ll stand the best chance of achieving success in his or her career.

Your curiosity and your willingness to learn will make you stand out. That’s a good thing. There will always be people around you who are going to put you down if you’re trying to do something to build yourself up. Don’t pay attention to them!

Reading is knowledge. It affects the way you think, motivates you, and sometimes just confirms what you’re already doing well. Always get the facts and question everything. Get your information from the experts, like those who write books or do seminars.

• — Ask questions. I’m always asking questions!
  
• Challenge the status quo. People make general statements all the time. Pretty much everything that anybody says is false, based on “somebody” told them. Don’t believe what people tell you. Find documentation that supports what they say.
• Email. Find ways to make it efficient.
• Internet. Research information to educate yourself. Use the internet to find powerful, emotional videos to help you with the issues you want to work on. But be very careful about what you read on the internet—there is so much misinformation out there, you need to be thorough with your research.
• Knowledge is power. Read, research, and always work with the facts.
• Money is freedom. Be open to learning new ways to manage your money. When you have money set aside, you can do more things for yourself, your family, and your business, including taking time off to keep your life in balance.
• Read books. That’s how you learn. Don’t become addicted to your mobile devices! You don’t have time for that—unless you’ve scheduled it.
• Seminars. Seminars are great way to learn and network. Try to attend live events or take online courses to get certified.
• Social media. Research how professional platforms like LinkedIn can work to your benefit. Don’t use social media to display your emotions and vent.
• Software and apps. Learn these technology skills and use them to your advantage.
  

The key is continuous improvement, just a little each day. You don’t need to be perfect, but you do need to be thoughtful about your daily choices. It’s not just about you—it’s about your kids too!

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When I was an electrician working in the field, I was just trying to make something of myself. I had a wife and baby girl, and I was still a kid myself. I would read the Code book to study for my journeyman’s test. You know what my co-workers did? They laughed at me. They mocked me. I didn’t understand what was going on. But I was determined not to let it get to me. You just have to tell yourself you’re going to learn and get better at what you do.

I didn’t have a mentor, but I read a lot of books about a lot of people: Edison, Newton, Galileo, Faraday, and Tesla. What I found was that these people came from humble beginnings, had failures, but kept educating themselves and moving up. That’s what I strive to do.
—Mike Holt

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