Self Education: The Key That Unlocks Many Doors
Formal Education will make you a living. Self Education can make you a fortune. - Jim Rohn
Self-education includes things like reading, self-study, OJT, and time-based repetition, such as skills and knowledge acquired from daily job-related functions, etc.
The introduction of the Internet into daily life has greatly increased access to knowledge (have you ever heard of YouTube?).
Thus making self-education (again, much of it free) a viable alternative for those who, due to various life circumstances, cannot (or do not want to) engage in more formal paths of education.
For example, a friend has become an expert in web design all on his own. Almost totally for free, simply because he has an Internet connection and a desire.
He has now branched out into photography as well.
He has tapped into the vast repository of information on the Internet that is waiting for anyone who has a desire and takes the initiative to learn.
There was a small financial outlay, but his primary investment was time.
He told me once of another friend of his who graduated with a university degree, spending multiple thousands of dollars to do the same thing and yet doesn’t even enjoy it that much.
The Pied-Piper Education Model is Broken
It seems his friend followed the “Pied-Piper” and pursued a trend simply because it was popular and promised to “pay well” without regard to cost or assessment of his own three Ps.
That is what the world does.
Romans 12:2 advises us:
Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind …
In other words, don’t do what everybody else is doing, simply because it’s popular. Instead, discover and do what you were created to do.
All this is great news for someone who is well down the road of life, yet has the desire or feels the calling to change direction.
Self Awareness
“To thine own self be true”
This line in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, has been applied to many aspects of self-awareness in modern times.
For our purpose in this essay, three areas comprise the essence of who we are:
Personality (genetic character traits, personal preferences, etc)
Potential (skills, gifts, natural abilities, etc)
Passion (desires, dreams, goals, values)
You must start there. It is the key to everything else.
Life Skills Learning
No one can get an education, for of necessity education is a continuing process. - Louis L’Amour
Incorporated into both formal and informal education is Life Skills Learning -
It is important not only to learn but also to learn how to use what we learn.
This is the point where the vast majority of formal education and self-education endeavors fail.
We learn math, but little financial management.
We learn science, but not how to apply it to our daily existence.
We learn social studies, but not social skills.
We may even be taught about different vocational paths, yet it is almost always in the context of employment (without regard to personality, potential, or passion), not calling.
Action and Motivation
Do you have a Burning Desire or are you just embracing the grind?
Action and Motivation are the last two elements in the TEAM formula Transformation = Education, Action, Motivation
We will look at these elements more in-depth in the next couple of posts in this series.
For those of us who have quite a bit of water under our bridge, there is only one realistic way to correct this educational deficiency – you must have a burning desire to change.
When you blend your 3Ps and find the sweet spot that excites you above all else, you will be much more likely to take action and stay motivated.
That “want to” must be so strong that it carries you through the rough spots, over the hurdles, and becomes like a bright light to a moth – you are compelled toward it almost by instinct.
The reality, though, is that most of us achieve a level of stability in which we are just comfortable enough to stay where we are.
We don’t get excited about much anymore. We have been disappointed so many times that we have thrown up a shield to guard our emotions.
Life On Cruise Control
“It ain't that bad,” we tell ourselves. I’ve got what I need. Plus, I’ve got a credit card if I need something else.
We have our TVs, our computer games, Facebook, our weekend toys, and sports.
It's bearable, we tell ourselves. So we are lulled into believing this is what life is all about.
We convince ourselves that even if there were more, it’s too late to change. Where we are in life may be uncomfortable, but it hasn’t gotten bad enough to do something about it.
The bottom line is that we desire our comfortable misery more than making the effort to change.
Instead of admitting we are lazy, we make excuses that appease the conscience.
This will be covered in more detail in the Chapter on Motivation.
Questions to help nurture a personal transformation mindset:
Do you know who you are in this respect?
Have you ever really taken the time to understand your unique personality traits or your deepest desires?
Do you know what your main skill sets are?
Have you discovered something that you love doing so much that it doesn't even seem like work?
What would you pursue if there were no obstacles in the way?
When we take the time to understand ourselves in this light, we can lay out a path for changing direction.
What about YOU? What is YOUR excuse?
Have you settled for a level of comfortable misery in life because the process of personal transformation takes more effort than you are willing to put out?
What pain point would motivate you to take action?
It’s not too late to make that transition.
It’s never too late, except in your mind.
So then, what is it that's holding YOU back?
There is no “one way” to be educated.
We are constantly learning and processing information.
However, as in the example of the boat in a previous article in this series, the most productive way is to add the rudder of knowledge, the paddle of wisdom, and the sail of understanding.
These are the tools of self-education.
Then you can take action to direct your course in life with much more accuracy and enjoyment.
Next week, we’ll take a look at what that best course of ACTION might look like.
Until next time, friends...
I like your definition of our education system as "Pied Piper.' As I went through the system, I thought it was applying the assembly line for manufacturing cars to learning. My wife taught in public schools and turned it into a treasure hunt. Some of my teachers led with creativity also. My classes and teachers were only two, among many, of the tools I used in being transformed over my lifetime.