There are many reasons for all of us to be lifelong learners. I am listing just 16 of them.
- Happiness: Happiness is the most sought-after state in life. Learning about how to be happy should be a continuous endeavor from an early age. In the last few years, I learned through several books, blogs, and videos how we can be happy in our lives. I wish I had done this when I was 25 rather than when I was 60. I would have consciously followed practices like gratitude, meditation, yoga, exercise, spending time with nature, serving others, etc. which would have made me a happier person decades earlier.
- Growth: We feel happy when we grow by learning something new. This in itself is enough reason for us to learn something new every day. The skills you learn go a long way in enabling your achievements in life.
- Earning potential: The need to keep on enhancing our potential to earn more through additional skills and knowledge is universal. This can only be achieved through continuous learning. Such learning leads to a better life and a high level of work satisfaction. As per a study by the US Department of Labor, workers who have completed an additional year of education after high school are almost twice as likely to be in the top 20% of their occupational category.
- Health: The benefits of good health cannot be underscored. New studies, inventions, and trials help us learn ways to improve our health. We should regularly devote time to learning about new developments in the area of holistic health and medical sciences.
- Financial freedom: We need Financial freedom to live confidently and pursue our interests comfortably. Unfortunately, at school, we are not taught the basics of creating financial wealth. Knowledge and skills of saving, investing, creating multiple earning streams, controlling expenses, etc. give us the power to become financially strong.
- Ease of living: Advances in technology create means for us to do our work more efficiently. Learning about these and using them makes our lives more comfortable and gives us more time us to follow our passions and interests.
- Solving problems: We use several appliances and gadgets in our daily lives. Often these malfunction and give us trouble. A lot of information is available online on how to solve many of these problems. Knowing these solutions saves us time and money. Similarly, information on how to take care of problems that you may face in many areas of life – legal, financial, taxation, etc. is available online.
- Hobbies: Hobbies help us relax and enjoyably spend time. Learning creative arts like music, painting, etc. enables us to do something that we love and feel happy about.
- Going online: Several activities that we used to perform earlier by physical travel have now become online. As this brings in a lot of convenience as well as saving in cost and time, it is useful for us to learn whatever we can do online. Examples are banking, regular shopping, travel bookings, bill payments, etc.
- Safety: Activity online exposes us to new threats of fraud and cheating. Our data becomes vulnerable to stealing and misuse. It is therefore necessary for us to learn about the security measures that we should take and the safety we should ensure while making online transactions and sharing information. As many people of advanced age stay alone now, they need to learn about staying physically safe.
- Better eating habits: Over the years a lot of study and research has been done on how we can lead a healthy life by adopting a better diet. We should learn about the benefits of various kinds of food items that we should consume for good health and to avoid chronic illnesses.
- Side hustle: Social media platforms enable us to provide services and also use them as needed. This opens up an entirely new opportunity for additional earnings by taking up work that can be secured and done online.
- Staying ahead of the curve: In this competitive world, staying ahead of the curve in your profession, industry, etc. will pay rich dividends. This is one of the best ways to advance your career.
- Helping others: Your knowledge can be a source of learning for others. If you can help another person learn something new, you will earn her gratitude and create good social bonds. To top it all, you will be able to answer questions from your children and grandchildren.
- Curiosity: Curiosity keeps us going in life and keeps our brains active. A curious person will try to find answers to the questions that come to her mind and to what she sees in life. Our curiosity is satiated through Lifelong Learning.
- History: As the saying goes, history repeats itself. What happens in the future derives a lot from what has happened in the past. When we study history, we learn a lot about what we should do in life based on what worked or did not work in the past.
Lifelong Learning enhances human capital.
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