Education

Who is it that has us convinced that the educational stage of our lives takes place between ages 5 and 25?  As a society we are taught that we will go to school from primary school through to our graduation from post secondary be it college or university, at which point we are to graduate and begin our career in whatever workplace we chose.  So where does it say that we cannot continue to educate ourselves as adults?  What type of education is available as we leave the nest and begin our adult lives?

Well let us start by determining what type of education would be most valuable to us in our adult lives.  We have already learned that 2+2=4 and that Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories (don't forget Nunavet).  We already know who won WW1 and WW2 and that dodge ball is the funnest game in the world.  So what don't we know?  In what areas can we improve ourselves in our lives?  Below are some ideas.

1/  The back up plan

Whether or not you are happy with your current choice of careers, lets face it, things do not always go as planned.  Times change, and what could have been a great career choice today, does not always end up being a great choice in the future.  With this in mind, a back up plan can save you much stress and anxiety down the road.  If you don't believe me, ask a great many former automotive workers whether they wished they were more prepared for a career change a few years ago when the big 3 announced their financial struggles and laid off thousands.  Suddenly, the market was flooded with people looking for new career opportunities.  Do yourself and favor and begin educating yourself now in an area that interests you that could become a career choice down the road.

2/  Understanding ourselves

Whether we want to believe it or not, the majority of people have a very poor understanding of what makes them tick.  We know ourselves well enough in terms of what we like and dislike, and we know ourselves well in terms of how we behave when the seas are calm.  What most people don't understand is how or why we perform or react when the seas in our lives become rough.  How do we react when someone hits one of our emotional triggers?  Do we withdraw?  Do we lash out?  There is a law I refer to in training, similar to the law of gravity, called the law of emotional intelligence.  This law states that when emotions go up, intelligence goes down and this law applies to everyone.  People world wide make mistakes when they become emotionally elevated, and if you don't believe me, simply visit a prison and find out how many violent acts are perpetrated by people who, the next day, awoke and asked themselves "What the heck was I thinking?"  The problem is everyone has emotional triggers.  Things that happen that send our emotions outside of the normal range that we operate in.  And when this happens, we react, and this reaction is based on how we feel at the time, not how we think.  Allowing our emotions to rule our actions and bypass rational thought rarely sees us handling these situations in the best manner, and in many cases, this leads to negative results in our lives.  So why not invest in understanding a little better what our emotional triggers are, where they stem from and what we can do to ensure our reactions end up with positive results.  Everyone can use a little therapy.

3/  Time for a new past time or hobby

How often have we heard someone say "I wish I knew how to..."?  Whatever your "how to" is, there are definitely things that will interest us, that could be that next great thing in our lives.  Have you ever wondered what a birdie is?  Take golf lessons.  Have you ever watched a program and thought how great it would be dive to the bottom of the great barrier reef?  Take scuba lessons.  Do you crave to be able to make that perfect dinner for family and friends?  Take cooking lessons.  Do you want to be able to give back to the community and help people when they are in need?  Take a first aid course.  There is no better time than the present to open a new door in your life and walk through it, and all that it takes is to enroll in a course today to broaden your horizons and make you a more well rounded and happier person.

So whether you open up a community activities calendar, a night course guide at your local college or a self help book to begin exploring your inner self, commit now to the concept of continual improvement and continual education in your life.  When we stop learning, we stop growing as a person.  Inherent wisdom comes with age and you can really blossom when you combine that wisdom with education.  The best investment anyone can make is to invest in themselves.