Are You Truly a Professional? Then Develop Yourself

You want freedom? Continuously improve yourself.

I am writing this on the eve of my trip to North Carolina to attend an international training conference with guest speakers Donald Trump and Darren Hardy. I booked my flights last minute. Do you think I paid a ton for flights? YOU BET. Will it be worth it? YOU BET. I will have my notebook, recording device, and full attention so that I may take even one golden nugget of information to use for my success.

Self Check: How often do you read a book, study online, or attend attend a seminar to learn something new? Or do you only go to MANDATORY training put on by your employer? Or are you simply content just realzing that you already know everything there is to know?

Major truth – continuous learning will lead to long term success, but you have to be focused. You have to take it seriously. At every great training event, less than half of the people there take it seriously. And of those half, only some really take notes. And of those that take notes, very few of them apply that learning. And of those that apply the learning, only some REALLY apply it and ask for more. The same applies with people who say they read – only some of them actually use what they learn. So many people tell me that they understand the importance of continuous learning, but very few actually apply it – because it is not easy. Boo hoo. If you want to make the most of your learning, use what I call your RADAR.

1) Read

Always be a student of the world. Find topics that intrigue you and then seek out the information that will help you learn. Find books on self development, business, marketing, or whatever topics interest you and start reading. This also applies to attending seminars, webinars, training events, etc. Just go out and find the information. You could even pick a theme for each month and focus your learning in one specific area. For example, if you want to learn about Facebook Marketing, find some books, magazines, online newsletters, or attend a social media bootcamp. Do that for an entire month and in a year, you can speak knowledgably about 12 different topics! Instant credibility!

2) Absorb

Just reading, watching, or listening is not enough. How do you capture the knowledge? Write it down, record it, and teach others. A great tool that I use in all of my meetings is my Echo Smartpen which combines a pen and paper with a recording device so you can go back and re-listen to what someone said anywhere in your notes. Teaching it to others means that you are able to succinctly sum up the key points and get them to understand the material. Teaching it is the highest form of mastery that you have grasped the concepts. Next time you learn something new, try and explain it to someone.

3) Do

Most people stop after steps one and two. What’s the point of learning something new if you don’t actually apply it? Only then will you realize that you don’t completely understand what you have learned! Also, how many people take great notes, have great audio, and then never look at those notes again? Sound familiar? Go back and re-read your notes and set a plan in action to apply those new skills TODAY. Try it – I challenge you to add one new skill to your arsenal this week. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new.

4) Analyze

Okay, if you have past the DO step, you are in good shape. But to get the most out of it, reflect on the success or challenges of the new skills you have learned. What worked? What didn’t? What was missing – what knowledge should be added to this? How can I re-apply these new skills in different areas and who should I talk to/what should I read to find out more? If you take the time to analyze your actions and be truly self aware, you get much more value from everything that you learn. We can’t epect to get it right the first time, so why would you stop there?

5) Repeat

Awesome! We learned something new, we tried it out, and we thought about the results. Now repeat that. Go and learn some more. Add to your knowledge base, ask an expert, get out of your comfort zone and just get it done.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

Pick a topic this week and start reading. Watch some videos. Take notes, and then try it out. Then think about what you could do better. Then learn some more, and repeat that. Then go and teach someone what you have learned. Better yet, host a seminar on it! Become an expert. To kick start your mojo, have a look at my sample reading list:

The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say “Yes” in 8 Minutes or Less! by Kevin Hogan – great read on how people make decisions and how you can create a better situation whereby they will be more open to suggestion

Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Teal Book of Trust: How to Earn It, Grow It, and Keep It to Become a Trusted Advisor in Sales, Business and Life by Jeffrey Gitomer – if they don’t trust you, why would they want to work with you?

How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships by Leil Lowndes– an aweome read with 92 small tips and tricks about human relationships

Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill – if you don’t know about this book, just go get it.

Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships by Jeffrey Gitomer – how to build genuine connections when you are networking

StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath – great self test with a different twist. More focused on what you can do with your unique skills

You Can Negotiate Anything: The World’s Best Negotiator Tells You How To Get What You Want by Herb Cohen – One of the world’s best negotiators gets down and dirty

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey – another great book about how to work on being the best YOU

Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques (2nd Edition) by Michael Michalko – don’t read this one cover to cover. open a page and jump right in to spark your creativity!

Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization (Leadership for the Common Good) by Keegan and Lahey – people naturally resist and fear change. This examines ways to deal with change and be immune to the effects of it

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell – how epidemics start. Amazing read about the power of connectors, mavens, and salesmen.

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience by Camine Gallo – Great insights on what made a cultural icon so successful at presentations.

Harvard Business Review (Magazine) – get a subscription to this!

“What’s Stopping You” by Rick Hoogendoorn – Rick is a friend of mine, one heck of a realtor, and also supremely committed to helping those around him. He took the works of Byron Katie and put together some great insights about how we spin our wheels by having our foot on both the gas and the brake at the same time!

Of course there are so many options out there, the key is to just get started. subscribe to newsletters, trade publications, and attend local events. And don’t worry about anyone else – focus on yourself.

My good friend, Steven Bertrand of www.rollingmotivation.com just said, “Today I read a book, they said was a waste of time, I learned a new skill they said I will never need and I met someone who they said couldn’t teach me anything…So when I wake tomorrow I will do all things they can’t!”

image: Pink Sherbet Photography

Author
Recent Posts

Follow me!

Joe Girard

Joe helps others leverage their unique skills and abilities to become unstoppable.He is a speaker, trainer, and consultant always looking for interesting projects.DOWNLOAD Joe's FREE ebook "20 Tips to Create a Powerful Personal Brand."Joe also is the owner of Change Grow Achieve, helping people transform their businesses with powerful leadership, marketing, and sales strategies.