Creating Wealth Part 10 – Learning As A Lifestyle

by Patrick Liew on January 14, 2012

From 1987 to 1991, I joined a wonderful group of people on a learning journey that completely transformed my life at that point in time.

We were members of the defunct SWAP Club. It was a club for people who wanted to do well in their working life and to contribute to society.

Imagine with me, a group of positive people who were highly charged up to achieve success. We met formally on a fortnightly basis to inspire and motivate one another.

During the structured meetings, we learned how to lead and manage meaningful projects. In the process, we learned lifeskills – skills to help us succeed in life, such as leadership, management, entrepreneurship, financial, interpersonal, and social-contribution skills.

We invited different experts to teach us. They came from Singapore and from many other parts of the world.

During informal gatherings, we would share ideas and help each other improve and grow. As a result of the Club, many people have gone on to do well in life.

As I reflected on this and many other experiences, I believe that if I want to be wealthy, learning has to become an integral and a vital part of my life.

In the past, I have to go through a formal education to learn how to earn a living. Today, I have to constantly educate myself to make my life count.

Learning must become a habit and a part of my lifestyle.

If I am not motivated to learn, all the best trainers, trainings and training resources will have no impact on my life. However, if I am keen to learn, there are lessons at every given moment of my life.

There are also infinite numbers of teachers waiting to teach me – both consciously and unconsciously.

To ensure optimal learning, I need to develop a learning plan.

I need to determine the gaps between my current competencies and what I need to learn. I must proactively initiate ways to bridge the gap.

I must treat my daily life as a classroom to learn and improve. By doing that, I will be in a better position to achieve my goals and dreams.

There are many doors to this 24/7 classroom of life. Please don’t limit yourself to the ways to get access to the classroom.

Here are some of them.

Learning Environment  

I am the result of the people I interact with and the environment I live in.

I need to choose my friends carefully, including my friends on the Internet. As they say, if I want to fly with eagles, I should not mix around with turkeys.

I need to also ensure that the environment I am living in is conducive to learning and improvements. I will not, for example, join a club or be involved in an online community that has a negative influence on my life.

Learning Community  

To enhance my learning experience, I will proactively join different networks of people who share similar vision, values and lifestyle as me. We will have a commitment to inspire and motivate one another to achieve our respective goals and dreams.

To do so, we will share with each other knowledge, information and ideas. We will help each other develop the appropriate skillset.

We will also help fine tune each other’s plan and line of actions. And we will watch over each other as we progress in life.

Formal Learning 

This is a form of learning that we are familiar with. Typically, it involves interactions between a teacher and a student in an educational setting, eg. a classroom.

To date, I always ensure that I keep up to date with seminars and conferences. I will participate in programmes that will help me achieve my desired results.

For example, recently I made it a point to be involved in conferences and exhibitions about Cloud technology.

As I am largely ignorant about the Cloud and I believe it will make one of the greatest impacts on my profession and industry, I need to study more deeply about it. I want to also learn and interact with both experts and users of this technology.

Informal Learning

I have come to realize that there are many useful lessons that can be garnered from daily conversations. They can be conducted on a personal basis or in a group.

That’s why, I make it a point to proactively meet people in gatherings, clubs, workshops and exhibitions.

I will particularly seek out wealthy and successful people and initiate discussions with them so as to tap on their wealth of knowledge. This can also be done through forums on the Internet.

By asking the right questions and listening carefully, it can open up a new world of learning and improvement for me.

Inspired Learning

In the process of seeking out experts to learn from them, I have discovered one of the greatest benefits is that they inspire me to conduct a deeper study of their work and the area of their expertise.

For example, I learned about the principle of leverage – how to do more with less – from students of Buckminister Fuller (Buckie). Later, I was inspired to read many of the books written by Buckie.

I discovered Buckie‘s definition of leverage was actually ‘doing ever more with ever less.’ The difference of one word gave me a new breakthrough in enhancing my wealth-creation process.

Reflective Learning

It is crucially important that I devote sufficient time to reflect on my daily activities and to learn from them.

To do so, I need to be mindful of how I invest my time during the day.

I will review the activities to evaluate my performance against the desired results. I need to be honest to determine how I have failed and not just how I have succeeded.

I look for ways to improve my strengths and cover my weaknesses. I also develop action steps to improve the results.

The best time to start learning is now.

The best way to start is to take the first step – sign up for a programme that will help you at this point in your life.

As you continue to take more steps, learning will eventually become a habit and a lifestyle. You will be on your way to a wealthy life.

Go4It!

I hope this message will find a place in your heart.

By the way, I have also recorded other reflections.

Visit my Transformation blog at http://hsrpatrickliew.wordpress.com/

Visit my Inspiration blog at http://liewinspiration.wordpress.com/

Please read them and continue to teach me.

Life is FUNtastic!

Definitions

Wealth
Wealth refers to the condition of well-being. It includes my physical, emotional, social and environmental well-being

Wealthy
Having the resources to help others and myself live a meaningful, exciting and fulfilling life in a healthy environment

Asset
Anything that grows wealth

Liability 
Anything that decreases wealth

Rich
Having the money and material possessions to achieve the same aspiration for being wealthy

Money
Money is the instrument to facilitate transaction of products and services. It is a measurement of the results of a Wealth Plan

Wealth Plan
An effective and an ever-improving blueprint to create wealth

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