Joe M. Lopez Always be learning is more than a catch phrase
As people, we have evolved in many ways. We went from stone tools to portable power tools. From walking to flying. From talking in person to being able to talk with someone around the world as if they were standing next to you. From dying from a cut to being able to have your heart replaced. All of it started when someone determines to do IT better. Find a better solution. Create the advancement. We are a society of learners. At least we have been. That’s why I believe in always be learning!
In a previous job, I had a co-worker that was seeing retirement in the horizon. He wasn’t ready to retire as he needed the income. I don’t blame him. The money was good and the job was steady. The company we worked for was bought out by a bigger company. We were all nervous cause we know that there are usually layoffs after being bought out. We each interviewed again for our jobs. Then work resumed. My co-worker was comfortable working on the systems he had worked on for years. I should say, in this field, the name of the game is change. Every year the company would retire old versions of equipment. Every year new versions of equipment would be sold. The training was constant for us. We had to learn every day. With this in mind, could you imagine anyone saying they can’t learn? Me neither. Then I hear my co-worker, the one close to retirement but can’t afford to, say “I’m too old to learn.” The first time I heard him say that, I was shocked. How could anyone say that, especially out loud. Well maybe it was a mistake. Unfortunately, I heard it over and over from him. If I heard it, then I am sure others heard it. Turns out I was right. He lost his job shortly after. My belief is that no company wants an employee that cannot learn as needed by the job. I wouldn’t want anyone on my staff if they couldn’t learn.
If you can’t relate to that, try this. Did you use to help your parents program the VCR? Do you remember the VCR and the blinking time? Quick backstory, the VCR was before the DVD player. It was a simple device that would also show the time since it could record on a time schedule. This was a crude DVR style device. Every time the power would blink, the clock would reset. When the clock reset, it would just blink 12:00, and blink, and blink. My parents forgot how to program it. I would be the one to do it. And so it went, if we got a new stereo, I would be the first to figure it out. When cable TV came out, I figured out the wiring. When the first game console came out, I was the first to learn how to connect and use it. Today, I still know how to work every electronic, appliance, and fixture in my house. I refuse to let my kids, who have the advantage of growing up in the technology world, know more about my house than I do. This is a result of my belief, ALWAYS BE LEARNING!
Having this belief is a result of another belief, I will stop learning when I am dead. I preach this to my kids. I preach this to my friends. I even preach this to my colleagues. It is a very personal belief. Every day, I am reading articles on real estate. Every day I am reading books on people, success, failure, and even writing. Listening to podcasts, watching learning videos, studying trends, learning my neighborhood, my town, my county. I am learning new ways to engage, new ways to innovate, to bring real value to my clients and not just perceived value. I will never stop learning and I advise you to do the same. Learning, adapting, and applying are a way of life. It was that way in the beginning and as long as we want to be successful should be till the end.