Earlier this week, we had a conversation about online learning.
We talked about how to free up time for online learning, how to slip it into your day, and free resources to get you started.
I love to use the gym analogy when it comes to this stuff.
You know you should go to the gym.
You even feel better after you do.
But it takes everything you have to get yourself there and actually work out.
Sometimes that has to do with lack of time.
Or because you prefer to sleep (especially now that it’s cold and dark until 7:30 a.m.).
Or because you’re on the injured reserve list.
Whatever the reason, getting to the gym is hard.
And it’s often even more difficult when the gym is in your house.
For the same reason the saying, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person” exists.
It’s too easy.
You can do it after work. Or before bed.
And yet…
How a Coach Can Help
This is precisely why I hired a coach.
I’m very self-disciplined, so I will ride my bike, but there are weeks of travel where I would much rather sleep.
He uses TrainingPeaks to provide my workouts, and it connects with my Garmin.
That way, he has all of the data he needs to coach me, and I stay accountable to doing the work.
Plus, it really sucks to see a yellow or red day because you either skipped or didn’t do the entire ride.
I like all those green days!
Green days rule!
Gamification at it’s best!
But the point is I have someone holding me accountable to my goals.
Which is huge in making time to do the things we know we should do.
MSGMMD
The good news is, you can have a coach to hold you accountable to online learning.
(And your 2018 goals and measurement and not murdering your boss.)
The PR Dream Team is fantastic for that, and the cost is considerably less than a cycling coach or personal trainer.
You also could join my mastermind so I can personally hold you accountable.
Let me tell you how much fun THAT is.
One client uses an acronym to describe what it’s like to work with me: MSGMMD.
(More shit Gini makes me do.)
I know you want lots of stuff to do, beyond online learning.
RIGHT??
You can hire a coach, join the PR Dream Team, or go it alone.
The goal, though, is to focus on online learning as we finish out the year and start 2018.
Don’t wait until January to start your new habit.
Start now and it’ll be a habit by the time everyone else is just beginning.
#winning
Online Learning Will Make You Richer
Not only will it be a habit, but you’ll be well on your way to being richer, happier, and more popular.
With trends such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics, virtual workforces, and augmented reality, the shifts in our jobs will continue to move more rapidly.
Just like things changed 10 years ago when social media and blogging gained in popularity, we have to focus on online learning to build our skills.
It requires continual learning and personal growth.
If you do not, you will max out your earning potential.
No more raises. No more bonuses. You won’t be promoted. And you’ll suffer in silence.
If you’re in doubt, read Lifelong Learning is Becoming an Economic Imperative on the Economist.
Online Learning Will Make You Healthier
(And so will going to the gym, but I won’t belabor the point.)
Simply reading every day is linked with greater health.
According to research from QuickReads:
Folks who read at least 30 minutes a week are 20 percent more likely to report greater life satisfaction and 11 percent more likely to feel creative. They’re also 28 percent less likely to suffer from depression and 18 percent more likely to report high self-esteem.
There also is a well-studied relationship between longevity and education.
This means, the more you learn, the longer you’ll live.
Who knows…maybe you’ll be a 99-year-old college graduate, like Doreetha Daniels.
Online Learning Will Make You More Popular
My husband is impossible to go to networking events with.
You see, he’s in politics and, even though it’s always been a socially taboo subject, the moment he tells someone what he does, they are enthralled.
I always joke that I stand there like arm candy and mutter:
I’ve written two books, have founded and grown two organizations, have a crazy fun blog, rear a four-year-old, and ride 300 miles a week.
But yes…politics is far more interesting.
This past year has been even more intense, both because politics has become less taboo and because people want to commiserate.
But it really has nothing to do with what he does.
It’s because he knows more about politics than pretty much anyone else on this planet.
We recently were in a situation where someone said women don’t deserve equal rights.
While I lunged at the guy, ready to tear his eyeballs out, my husband calmly engaged him in conversation.
And he changed the guy’s mind.
(I was seething…it still makes me angry. There was no way I could have a calm discussion about it.)
That comes from being confident in your knowledge and knowing you know more about the subject than anyone else.
While artificial intelligence and virtual workforces seem impossible right now, with online learning, you’ll quickly gain knowledge.
And with knowledge comes confidence.
Soon your significant other will complain that you’re no fun to go to networking events with.
Create Your Plan…and Go!
The key is to never stop.
You have to figure out a way to incorporate this into your schedule.
It could be it’s 20 minutes per day, an hour per week, or half a day per month.
Write down your online learning plan for the next 30 days.
Schedule time on your calendar, find someone who will hold you accountable, and get to work.
