The Habit of Education
You don't have to go back to school to keep learning and growing. Developing a habit of lifetime learning will not only keep us employed but will also help us feel more fulfilled.
If you ask people who are happy what makes a difference in their lives, somewhere near the top of the list is lifelong learning. As we explore new ideas and learn new concepts and skills, we continue to feel a sense of purpose in our relationships, our communities, and our connection to God.
Here are five thoughts on lifelong learning that will help you feel inspired.
God created us in His own image. He never intended for us to be stationary, but rather He wants us to learn and grow and become more like Him: “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). In our human existence, we live in a classroom that offers many opportunities to grow and improve. Our birthright is to learn.
The more we learn and apply our knowledge, the more self-reliant we become. We also become more dependent on the Lord. We can go to Him for direction on what we should learn, and we can ask for the energy and focus to accomplish it. We can also go to Him to ask how we can help others learn to be self-reliant.
We are temporally self-reliant when we are able to create a budget and live by it, without the need for assistance from others. We are spiritually self-reliant when we trust God and are willing to do whatever He asks of us. We learn about Him by reading the scriptures and listening to talks in Church, and we build our relationship with Him through personal prayer. When we become spiritually self-reliant as well as temporally self-reliant, we can act as a source of spiritual strength for our families, and we can help bless and sustain the lives of others.
Charting the steps to self-reliance creates milestones worthy of congratulations. Finishing a certification course, learning a new skill, or even getting through the day’s homework assignment is cause to reward yourself. Progress is knowing more and being better at something than you were yesterday. Know your path by creating a plan and checking your daily activities against it.
Learning takes many forms, from self-directed learning and casual study to earning a formal degree. There are opportunities all around us to help us improve. Life is a classroom, and God intended for us to learn our way through life.