In previous posts I mentioned that you need to educate yourself in order to reach your goals and grow as a person. We are all used to the standard classroom method of education from the many years we have spent in school. This method works, but there are better ways. First, people fit into different learning style categories. Second, education in the classroom teaches us to be like everybody else, walk in a line, make the average grade etc. It essentially hinders a person’s creativity. We are taught there is only one way to do something and not to ask questions. Sometimes we are taught just to pass a test, not actually learn a subject and try to apply it.
There are many ways to learn and a lot of them have nothing to do with a classroom. Taking “classes” is not the only way to make it this world. Look at Bill Gatesand Steve Jobs, neither of these guys graduated college. Heck, Dave Thomas (founder of Wendy’s) did not even graduate from high school. Now before anyone starts to think I am against going to school, I am not (I have gained a lot from the 17 years I have spent in school). All I am trying to say is going to school is not the always the best way to learn and you need to keep learning. We live in a great age with the internet allowing us to have access to many resources. If you are interested in learning something better then go learn about it. My personal choice is to read a book. You can get books from any book retailer or just borrow them from your local library. I prefer books because I have a short attention span and I can read at my own pace. Also, it is easier for me to read from paper than a computer screen. Some of the other resources that I utilize are internet articles, ebooks, audio books, and podcasts. By the way, many ebooks, audio books, and podcasts are free or very cheap. Another source of invaluable information is a mentor or someone who has already done what you are trying to do. This is an individual that can help you stay on track and guide you around the mistakes they have made in reaching their goals. When looking for someone to help you or give you advice, always ask somebody who has done it before. For instance, you do not want to ask investing advice from somebody with no money, just because they have a degree does not mean they know what they are talking about.