The biggest success factor for ANY training is implementing what you learn immediately

I have a learning addiction.  I have finally come to terms with that fact. 

For years, I was in constant learning mode, hopping through programs and books, always leaving me hungry for more.  And worse, I purchased many programs and books “for later”, each time justifying the purchase by telling myself I was taking advantage of great pricing or that it would be perfect to already have it when I was ready to hit that area of expertise.  It would be at my fingertips…

The result would be programs that I either partially completed, or never even started.  Books sat on my shelf; their spines never having been cracked. 

Then I was off chasing other shiny objects, lost in a bottomless vortex of YouTube training videos, browsing the shelves of my local bookstore or Amazon, and entering my email into endless sales funnels.  Surely this next program would be the one, right?  I was mistaking learning, or even the pursuit of learning (as in just buying) as action.  I needed a smarter approach. 

The solution for my dilemma came down to two words - Intention and Implementation.   

Last December, I sat down and wrote out what I wanted in the various areas of my life.  I had enough of the hamster wheel I was on.  What were my true goals, and who did I have to become to achieve them?

I learned of the idea of “just in case” vs “just in time” learning, and that has been the key.  I made the decision to INTENTIONALLY select the programs and books that fit the areas in which I would be focusing on fully – health, family/spiritual, leadership, and business.  

I also made the decision to go deeper in each program and book I selected, committing to doing the work in each module/chapter, rinsing and repeating, and IMPLEMENTING the learning immediately.

The next step was to simplify my decision-making.  In the past, I spent a lot of energy and brain space debating which new programs to add, researching them, weighing my options, mistaking all of that for action. 

A funny thing happened.  When I started to match a program with goal, it was clear there really was no more free time for additional “learning”.  

Now, even with clear goals for my growth and a now-fuller schedule, I still knew myself and that the temptations to enroll in everything would be everywhere.

Enter my three questions that I have to answer HONESTLY:

• Will this help me with one of my four vital goals immediately or later?

• Do I really have the bandwidth at this moment to not only learn but actually do the work required AND implement to spark change?

• What emotional need or desire am I fulfilling by hitting the enroll button or buying that book? Can I solve for that emotional need by examining the root cause first?

These three questions have changed everything for me.  If the answer is no to any part of them, I move on.  The last question requires the most honesty has helped me immensely.

So how has it gone for me this year? I have said “no” more than I have said “yes”, and It has made it easy to say “yes” to the right things. 

I have greater focus and I am seeing the impact of the work I am doing almost immediately.  Saying no to the wrong things, or things I just don’t need yet has become so much easier.

I’ve mentioned in other posts and in the various groups I am in, that this year has been one of profound impact.  This is part of the reason.  Everything changed when I realized I was just constantly learning, or masking the real issues by chasing learning, with no real action after. 

Being intentional is key for me and I have put the “learning addiction” in it’s proper place.  I have to monitor it, but it no longer defines me. Instead, I can now truthfully say that I am a lifelong learner, focused on my real growth.