Loving Learning

People who love to learn are motivated to develop new talents, grow intellectually, and acquire new skills. Continuous learning keeps the mind active and challenged, opening the door to new perspectives and new opportunities. It feels good to learn new things, even though it can get frustrating with challenging material.

Loving to learn is a developed character strength. Research shows that people who are committed to life-long learning are likely to do the following:

• Have positive feelings about learning new things
• Have the ability to self-regulate efforts to persevere, despite challenge and frustration
• Feel autonomous
• Feel challenged
• Have a sense of possibility
• Be resourceful
• Feel supported by others in their efforts to lea

The benefits of loving to learn are obvious for school age children and college students; the benefits do extend beyond these years. Research proves that people in their working years, as well as into retirement, benefit by being healthier, happier, more successful. People who are engaged and active by developing interests later in life are likely to be more physically and mentally healthy than their peers who do not follow this path.

Here are some suggestions for building your love for learning, and for taking action every day to fulfill your commitment to life-long learning:

• Take a class (anything that interests you!)
• Read at least one chapter from a book every day
• Surf the net (search a topic and follow the links)
• Decide to be an expert on a topic and spend the time to research it
• Explore the city in which you live as if you were a tourist
• Travel outside of your area
• Join an internet discussion group
• Subscribe to newsletters, newspapers, magazines
• Surround yourself with diverse people

Your commitment and love of learning will take you places you have only dreamed about. It opens a wide world of enrichment and imagination; provoking thoughts that will help you have an impact on your world.

Coach Charrisenn